Sonic Reborn
by ShizukaRakugaki44
Summary: A boy named Sonny Hedge is plagued by nightmares he doesn't understand and is sent to South Island to attend school. But on his first day, a mysterious mad man named Dr. Robotnik decides to attack the island with robots and kidnap several civilians. It is also during this time that Sonny suddenly transforms into Sonic the Hedgehog but he doesn't remember afterwards.
1. Chapter 1: Awakening

**Since my Team Fortress 2 fanfiction has been doing alright, I thought I'd try something different that still revolves around videogames. Now before I begin, I would like to make it clear that I'm not a big fan of Sonic. I don't play the games and I don't read the comics, but I have become familiar with the character through watching the cartoons as well as the cutscenes and playthroughs of the 3D Platform games. Also, I notice that the majority of fanfictions where the Sonic characters are depicted as humans tend to revolve around different forms of shipping and so I thought I would add something a little more serious to the mix. So without further ado, I give you _Sonic Reborn_ and I hope you enjoy it :)**

Chapter 1: Awakening

 _Aw, man, I had that nightmare again_ , thought a young boy with medium spiked royal-blue hair and light-green eyes as he got out of bed. _The one where all I see is fire and smoke. Then I hear menacing laughter coming from somewhere and_ _—_

The boy broke from his train of thought and looked at his alarm-clock. It was 7:30 AM, which only gave him thirty minutes to get dressed and have breakfast before school started. Sighing, the boy quickly changed from his blue boxers into a matching blue-and-white track jersey and shorts. Next, he went into the bathroom and proceeded to brush his teeth and run his fingers through his hair to brush it. Then he went into the next room of his one-bedroom apartment and made his way to the kitchen where he grabbed a leftover chili-dog out of the fridge and from there to the front door where the boy put on his red-and-white sneakers that were ornamented with golden buckles.

After that, the boy walked hastily outside with his backpack in tow, locking the front door as he went, and made his way to a storage shed where his skateboard was kept. Once he obtained it, the boy wasted no time and started skating down the road which led to a sharp dip once he got to the edge of the hill where the apartment complex was located. From there, the boy could see an entire town stretch before him with the beach on one side and tropical forests and hills on the other. Taking a deep breath, the boy rode the skateboard down the slope that followed, keeping his balance steady as he went. He managed to make it to the bottom in one piece and cross the street despite nearly getting hit by an oncoming car.

###

By the time he got to the school, which was two-story building made from tan and brown-colored bricks, the boy was exhausted and disembarked from his skateboard. Then just as he was about to enter through the main door, he heard some voices nearby and looked to where the source was coming from. It turned out to be three boys about his age wearing different colored shirts and shorts picking on a younger-looking boy with short blond hair and blue eyes. Curious, the boy decided to walk over to them to hear what they were saying.

"What's wrong, Miles?" One of the three boys said snidely, who was tall and skinny with a mohawk of purple hair. "Did you forget about our homework?"

"I didn't mean to, Zaz," replied the younger boy. "Honest."

"Well, that's too bad, Miles, because we needed that homework completed by today," said the leader of the three boys, who had a medium build with light-blue hair tied back in a short ponytail and was wearing a red shirt with black pants.

"Uh, Zak, should we punish him?" asked the third member, who was overweight with spiky black and red hair, wearing an oversized yellow T-shirt with black shorts.

"Of course, Zom," replied the boy with the light-blue hair. Then with that, Zak started to crack his knuckles.

"Hey," the boy with the spiked blue hair said, getting the three boys' attention. "Leave the kid alone."

Zak looked over his shoulder and glared at the boy with the spiked blue hair. "Who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn't do?"

"I don't think I've seen your face around here before," Zaz responded. "What's your name?"

"Sonny Hedge, and I just moved here," the boy with the spiked blue hair replied.

"What are you kids doing out here? Class has already started!"

The boys turned and saw a man in his late thirties with a bushy white mustache, a bald head, and beefy hands walking towards them. In response, Zak, Zaz, and Zom left Miles and ran towards the school building. Miles followed close behind while Sonny took up the rear. Inside, the boys split into two groups with Zak, Zaz, and Zom heading up a flight of stairs in the center of the main lobby and Miles heading down a hallway to the right of the main door.

"Um, excuse me," Sonny said as he caught up to Miles. "Do you know where Room 1991 is?"

Miles briefly looked back and said, "Yeah, that's the classroom at the end of this hallway to your right. I'm in 1992, which is the room right next to it."

"All right, thanks."

"No problem."

Then with that, Miles went into the classroom just before Room 1991 which Sonny entered. Inside, the students looked at him in surprise while the teacher did the same. She was a young woman in her mid-twenties with medium-length light-brown hair and matching hazel-colored eyes. She wore a pink dress that ran all the way down to her ankles with a rose-colored vest and matching shoes while an orange ribbon was tied around her neck. She smiled politely at Sonny and said, "Well, hello. Are you the new transfer student?"

In response, Sonny nodded.

The teacher nodded back and turned towards the classroom. "All right, everyone, this is the new transfer student I was telling you about and I want you all to make him feel welcome at South Island Middle School. Now why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

As if on cue, Sonny walked up to the front of the classroom and said, "Well, my name is Sonny Hedge. I like to run fast, my favorite food is chili-dogs, and my parents sent me here to attend school because they work overseas."

When the classroom responded with silence, Sonny sighed and took a seat near the back.

###

Later, Sonny was attending gym with the same guy who interrupted his confrontation with Zak, Zaz, and Zom earlier that day. It turned out he was a teacher named Mr. Chaplain, but the students called him 'Captain Whisker' because of his ridiculous mustache and he was also the head of the school's track-team who were known as the South Island Hedgehogs. For this reason, most of the activities in gym class included sprinting, running, and hurdling.

"Come on, kids! You can run faster than that!" Mr. Chaplain shouted as Sonny and the other students ran laps around the school's football field.

Sonny tried his best to keep up, but his legs were starting to turn to jelly. It also didn't help that his breathing became irregular, thus causing him to start panting. He slowed down to catch his breath, but Mr. Chaplain noticed.

"Don't stop now, new kid! Not till you've run at least two more laps!" Mr. Chaplain insisted.

Irritated, Sonny pushed on but soon discovered that he wasn't tired. So he ran faster, but then to his surprise everything around him became a blur including the students up ahead who got out of his way and even the grass started to disappear. Sonny tried to stop, but he couldn't. It was as if his legs had a mind of their own, and they weren't stopping anytime soon. At some point, Sonny saw Mr. Chaplain stand in front of him, but then he vanished, followed by the chain-link fence that separated the school's football field from the street on the other side. Before impact Sonny jumped up and curled into a ball, flying over the fence, and then he landed perfectly on his feet on the other side. While the sound of cheering students came from behind him, Sonny himself was stunned and collapsed onto the sidewalk next to the street.

 _What the hell just happened?_ Sonny wondered. _I've never done anything like that before. I mean, it was amazing, but also frightening._

"New kid, get back over here!" Mr. Chaplain yelled, lying on the grass with his face covered in shoe-marks. "We need to talk!"

Concerned, Sonny climbed back over the fence and jogged over towards Mr. Chaplain. A pointy-nosed teacher's assistant whose name-tag said 'Johnny' helped Mr. Chaplain up, and tried his best to remove the shoe-marks that marked Mr. Chaplain's face and shirt. Sonny walked up to them and as soon as he saw the shoe-marks he started scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Um, sorry about that," Sonny said awkwardly. "I didn't mean to run into you."

"It's not being run over that concerns me," Mr. Chaplain said, picking up the stopwatch he wore around his neck and showing it to Sonny. "While you were running, I activated my stopwatch and to my surprise you ran four laps around the football field in just five seconds. Now that's physically impossible by human standards, so how did you do it?"

"Well, I—

A sudden explosion interrupted Sonny's thoughts, and he looked up at the sky. To his surprise, small humanoid objects with rockets on their backs were flying overhead and firing lasers from large guns they held. The lasers caused brief fires to explode all over the football field, causing the students to scatter and run towards the main building in a panic. Mr. Chaplain ran in the same direction barking orders to the scared students while Johnny followed behind. Sonny ran to join them, but then he noticed two of the objects carrying a large metallic capsule between them and they were flying right over Mr. Chaplain, Johnny, and the other students. As if he knew what was coming, Sonny picked up his pace, and then the world suddenly blurred again, this time in a blue-colored aura.

Then just as the two objects flew close enough to ground with the capsule, Mr. Chaplain and the students saw that they were actually robots with egg-shaped bodies, thin metal arms and legs, and glowing red eyes. The robots placed the capsule between the football field and the main building's entrance, while a third robot joined them. It flew down till it hovered a few feet off the ground and pointed its large gun at Mr. Chaplain at the students.

" _If you will kindly step into the capsule, none of you will get hurt_ ," said the robot with the gun.

Mr. Chaplain paused and said, "On whose order?"

" _By the order of Dr. Robotnik who is claiming this island as his first conquest for the Robotnik Empire_."

"Not so fast, trash-can!"

The robot with the gun looked to where the voice came from, but then it saw Mr. Chaplain and his students suddenly being whisked away by a blue blur that came out of nowhere. Before the robot could fire its gun, something fell from above and crushed it into pieces. Meanwhile, the other two robots took out their guns and started shooting, but the blue blur was too fast for them and then it stopped on top of the capsule. To the robot's surprise, it was young boy with spiked blue hair that went down past his shoulders with green slanted pupils. He also seemed to be sporting a pair of blue-colored hedgehog ears and a small blue tail was partially visible behind him.

" _Step down from that capsule, citizen, or we will be forced to shoot_ ," one of the robots said firmly.

"Try to shoot me if you can, but you won't catch me," the boy said confidently.

So the robots fired at the boy, but he just jumped up high into the air and curled up into a ball. Then the ball started to spin rapidly and then it hit each robot on the head, causing them to fall apart. However, one of the robot heads was still intact and it tried to move but the boy noticed and stood over it with his foot raised.

" _Who…are…you?_ " The robot head said as its eyes flickered on and off.

"Who am I?" The boy thought for a moment, then he said, "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, and don't you forget it!"

After that, the boy stepped on the robot's head, which erupted in sparks and metallic parts flying everywhere, and then there was silence. Next, the boy collapsed onto his knees, and passed out. Meanwhile, more robots flew over the rest of the town carrying metallic capsules with them. They threatened several citizens with the laser guns, and forced them to go into the capsules before shutting them and carrying them to an unknown location. Those who did survive were indoors, including the students and teachers that were inside South Island Middle School.

###

When Sonny woke up, he found himself in a white room with a few beds littered about and cabinets filled with hydrogen peroxide bottles, cotton swabs, and cue-tips. The teacher from Sonny's first class was there along with Miles, but he turned away as soon as Sonny stared at him.

"Ms. Hare," Sonny murmured, trying to get up. "Where am I?"

"You're in the school infirmary," said the teacher, and turned to Miles. "Mr. Prower found you lying on the football field and brought you here. Then he told me and I came down here as soon as I could."

"What happened?"

"You tell me," Mr. Chaplain said, appearing in the doorway of the infirmary. "When the robots attacked us you disappeared, and then just as they were about to shove us inside this metal capsule we heard a voice. Next, this 'blue blur' came out of nowhere and took us all inside before we could bat an eye. I immediately reacted and sent the students into the gymnasium where the other teachers and students were waiting while the robots went around attacking the town. Then once it was all over, Ms. Hare came to inform me that you were in the infirmary and so I got over here."

"Wait, robots? This is starting to sound like a bad dream," Sonny responded, rubbing his head in irritation.

"We wish it were," replied Mr. Chaplain. "Apparently, some mad man who calls himself Dr. Robotnik has decided to claim this island for his Robotnik Empire and attacked our town with armed robots. Then the robots kidnapped several people by herding them into capsules similar to the one my class almost got put into and they took them off somewhere. We don't know where they went, but the mainland is sending a military unit who call themselves G. U. N. to protect the island from another attack."

"But for the time-being, we're all to stay here for the night and then in the morning send everyone home," Ms. Hare said. Then she noticed Sonny rubbing his temples with an irritated frown and asked, "Are you alright, Sonny?"

"Yeah, it's just…" Sonny sighed. "…My head hurts."

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2: Friendship

**This chapter's a little longer than the previous one, but hopefully it'll be worth it :)**

Chapter 2: Friendship

It had been about a month since Dr. Robotnik had attacked South Island and G. U. N. forces were posted all over the place, making the remaining civilians feel secure but also frightened. The schools during this time were no longer in session, though the teachers still gave their students homework to do via online assignments. This didn't bode well for Sonny, who struggled to understand some of the subject material without a teacher to explain anything to him. He was also constantly thinking about whether he should tell his parents about the attack or not.

 _I feel I should tell them, but I know they_ _'_ _ll freak out and probably send me somewhere else_ , Sonny thought as he lay in his bed one night. _I know I haven_ _'_ _t been here for long, but I don_ _'_ _t think I want to leave just yet despite the danger this Dr. Robotnik guy presents_.

Then Sonny yawned, and found himself drifting into sleep. Soon, he was dreaming, but it wasn't a pleasant one. There was a volcano erupting on a small island, with fire and lava spreading everywhere. In the midst of the fires emerged a small figure that looked like a fox with two tails spinning rapidly. But as the figure approached Sonny, another figure emerged behind it. This one had spikes coming from its head with glowing red eyes that pierced through the thick smoke that clouded Sonny's vision. Sonny tried to warn the fox-shaped figure, but then his alarm went off and he woke up.

Feeling beads of sweat coming down his forehead, Sonny sighed and wiped it away. He got out of bed and opened up his laptop, a blue Macbook with a white sticker shaped like a flaming orb on the back, which was located on a small wooden desk his parents bought him to go with the apartment. Next, he went onto the school's web-page and apart from the latest homework assignments, he found two emails in his inbox. The first was an announcement that school would be starting up again the following week as G. U. N. had determined that Dr. Robotnik wasn't going to strike again anytime soon. That email made Sonny feel relieved, but the second one made him cringe. It was from Mr. Chaplain, and he was offering Sonny a position on the school track-team because of his record-breaking run on the first day of school. Sonny pondered this issue over a breakfast of scrambled egg over a leftover chili-dog, but he couldn't decide what to do. Afterwards, Sonny got to work on the new batch of homework assignments.

###

Sometime around noon, Sonny decided to take a break and go outside. He took his skateboard out of the shed, and skated off to one of the parks on the island. Fortunately there was no one around, as most of the civilians preferred to stay indoors in fear of another attack by Dr. Robotnik, which allowed Sonny to test his new 'power' in secret. After stretching his arms and legs, Sonny ran as fast as he could. Eventually he got tired, but Sonny kept pushing on and that's when it happened. His legs got faster, the world around him suddenly blurred, and his exhaustion suddenly went away. After a brief period of running like this, Sonny willed himself to stop by braking his feet. The friction of his shoes rubbing against the cement forcefully caused the rubber on his soles to burn off and when he did stop, there was a trail of scorch-marks.

"If this keeps up, I'm going to have to buy new shoes every week," Sonny said to himself as he removed his shoes, which were worn down with the soles barely on. Then he looked at the stopwatch he wore around his neck and read, "Ten seconds."

Then Sonny looked around for a trail-marker to tell him how far he ran, and found one that said _One Mile_. Surprised, Sonny ran back the way he came, and did the same thing. By the time he got to his skateboard, the stopwatch read '00:09'.

"Either I just got a little faster or I'm starting to get the hang of this thing I can do," Sonny mused. "Probably should come up with a name for it."

He thought about it on the skateboard ride home, and one name seemed come up constantly in his head: the Sonic Phase. Sonny wasn't sure where it came from, but the name seemed fitting enough. Then as an experiment, Sonny tried to activate it while on his skateboard but nothing happened to his disappointment.

###

A week later when school was back in session, Sonny decided he would try to talk to Miles. He wanted to thank him for what he did when the robots attacked the school, but it seemed that Miles was too preoccupied. Not only was he constantly followed by Zak, Zaz, and Zom but Miles also tended to walk away whenever Sonny approached him. So Sonny decided to not do anything about it and let Miles come to him instead. Another two weeks passed and then one day during lunch period, Sonny was taking a nap at his desk in Ms. Hare's class when he heard a voice address him.

"Hey, um, Sonny?"

Sonny opened his eyes and saw Miles standing in front of him. He was a short boy with a child-like face, blue eyes, and wore an orange hoodie over tan-colored shorts. His shoes were sneakers with a red and white pattern and he carried a small yellow lunchbox in his hands that matched his short blond hair.

"Yeah, what's up?" Sonny replied casually.

"Do you, um, want to have lunch with me?" Miles asked nervously.

"Sure."

A smile beamed across Miles' face and he led Sonny to his favorite place. It was up on the school's rooftop, which Miles accessed with a key he copied with permission from the janitor's one, and behind a ventilation shaft. The cool air coming from it felt good against Sonny's back as he chowed down on a homemade chili-dog while Miles was eating a sandwich of some kind. For a while, neither of them spoke, and then Sonny said, "So I…wanted to thank you for bringing me inside while I was unconscious. If you hadn't done that I might've been captured or killed by those robots."

"Oh, it was nothing," Miles said as he blushed slightly.

"No, I'm serious," Sonny replied looking directly at Miles. "I owe you big time, Miles, and I'd like to make it up to you somehow."

"You don't have to do that for me. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Aren't you getting tired of those bullies picking on you constantly and making you do their homework?"

"Its none of your business, Sonny!"

Sonny was taken aback by Miles' sharp reply and said, "All right. I was just going to offer to be your friend."

"Friend? We barely know each other."

"Well, better acquaintances at the very least." Sonny finished his chili-dog and held out his hand. "For starters, I think we should properly introduce ourselves. My name is Sonny Hedge."

Miles hesitated for a moment, and then he took Sonny's hand. "I'm Miles Prower."

"Nice to meet you, Tails – I mean, Miles."

Before Miles could reply, the bell rang and the two left the rooftop quickly.

###

 _What the hell_ _'_ _s wrong with me?_ Sonny wondered as he walked over to his school locker. _Why did I say that? I don_ _'_ _t even know who_ _'_ _Tails_ _'_ _is_.

After shaking his head, Sonny turned the nob on his combination lock and opened up his locker. Inside were his textbooks and backpack, but his skateboard was missing. Concerned, Sonny removed his backpack from the locker but found no trace of the skateboard anywhere.

"Hey, new kid. Looking for something?"

Sonny turned around and saw Zak standing behind him. Zaz and Zom where there too, and they seem pleased about something. Then before Sonny could answer, Zom reached under his T-shirt and pulled out Sonny's skateboard which was torn in half and the wheels were removed.

"How did you guys get into my locker?" Sonny said, trying to hide his anger.

"That was Miles' doing," Zak said as he took the broken skateboard halves from Zom's hands.

"He had lunch with you today, right?" Zaz said tauntingly. "Well, he did it so he could access the combination to your locker when you exchanged phone-numbers, which allowed us to break in and destroy your precious skateboard."

"How do you know all this?" Then Sonny realized what was going on. "You guys set him up to do it, didn't you?"

"Uh, maybe," Zom said.

"Shut up, Zom!" Zak snapped. Then he grinned at Sonny. "You can tell a teacher about it if you want to, but Miles will still get in trouble if you do."

Then Zak threw Sonny's broken skateboard down on the floor and walked away laughing. Zaz and Zom followed Zak's example, and laughed away while Sonny was speechless. He picked up his broken skateboard, his backpack, and slammed the locker shut before leaving. Once he was outside the school building, he saw Miles running towards him, but Sonny just ignored him.

"Sonny, what's wrong?" Miles asked, blocking Sonny's way. But when he saw the broken skateboard, Miles looked away. "I bet you hate me now."

"Why?" Sonny seemed perplexed. "It wasn't your fault. They made you get my combination from my cellphone, right?"

Miles nodded slowly. "Yes, but I didn't want to."

"So why should I hate you for doing something you didn't want to do?"

"But your skateboard—

"It's no big deal. I'll just buy a new one."

"No. Let me fix it, and I'll bring it to you tomorrow morning."

"Are you crazy? You can't fix a skateboard this damaged overnight."

"I still want to because…you're my friend."

A sudden cry came from a pink-haired girl who was standing nearby and pointing at something in the sky. The two boys looked up and were surprised to see a group of the same robots that attacked before flying overhead. They didn't seem to notice the kids, or pay attention to them, and they flew over the downtown area which caught the attention of some G. U. N. tanks who immediately fired at them. While most of the robots stayed behind to fire lasers at the tanks, a few pressed on towards a suburban area located near the tropical forests.

"Wait a minute, that's where my house is," Miles muttered, and took the broken skateboard pieces from Sonny. "I have to go."

As Miles ran in the direction of the downtown area, Sonny shouted, "Miles, wait! You could get killed out there!"

When Miles didn't listen, Sonny ran after him and tried to activate the Sonic Phase again. It worked, but then just as he caught up to Miles something amazing happened. The blue aura appeared again, and it clouded Sonny's vision till he could see nothing else.

###

Miles was just about to cross the street to get past the G. U. N. tanks when suddenly he was picked up by something. He looked down to see what it was, but all Miles saw was a blue blur carrying him above the streets which seemed to vanish beneath. Then before Miles could speak, the blur dropped him off at the nearest bus-stop and went off in the direction of where the robots were heading. At first, Miles was speechless, but then he followed along the blur's path.

" _Chaos Emerald detected,_ " one of the five robots said as the group approached a two-story house at the edge of the town. " _It is inside that house._ "

The other robots responded by circling the house and firing their lasers at the windows. Glass and wood shattered instantly and the robots flew in through the openings. Then the robot who spoke made its way to the front door and was about to fire its laser when Sonic appeared between it and the door.

"Did you miss me?" Sonic asked coyly.

Immediately, the robot fired its laser, but Sonic immediately jumped up and curled into a ball. Then he landed on the robot's head causing it to shatter. From the wreckage emerged a small girl who looked around in confusion. Surprised, Sonic knelt down and helped the girl out.

"Are you okay, kid?" Sonic asked.

"I think so," the girl said sluggishly.

"What were you doing inside that robot?"

"I don't know, I—

The front window suddenly shattered open from the inside, causing the girl to scream and Sonic to shield her from the glass. A robot emerged carrying something in its metallic fingers. Then three others followed and they were just about to fly away when a yellow ball with tails came falling out of the sky and hit every single robot on the head. From these robots emerged small children as well, but they were caught by the yellow ball before they could hit the ground. In the process, the yellow ball uncurled itself, revealing it to be a boy with short blond hair, blue slanted pupils, and he had a pair of fox ears and two tails spinning rapidly to keep himself from falling.

"Tails!" Sonic cried, lowering the girl who had passed out after the window shattered.

"Sonic!" the boy replied, lowering the four children gently onto the sidewalk.

Like the girl, they were so dizzy that they collapsed onto the sidewalk and rubbed their heads in confusion. Meanwhile, the fox-eared boy Tails flew up to Sonic and the two embraced while laughing. After a few minutes, they let go and stared at each other quietly.

"I thought I lost you, buddy," Sonic said.

"Same here," Tails replied. Then he looked briefly around. "So where are we?"

"I'm not sure." Sonic looked down at his hand and gripped it tightly. "All I do know is that these bodies are not our own."

"Yeah, I thought I felt strange," Tails said as he looked at himself. "What do you think—

Then Tails suddenly passed out on the front lawn of the house, followed by Sonic.

###

"Sonny, wake up!"

Sonny's eyes fluttered and he found himself lying on a bed in an unfamiliar bedroom. He looked over to his right and saw Miles sitting in a chair next to the bed. When Miles noticed, he sighed with relief.

"Thank goodness you're all right," Miles said when Sonny didn't say anything. "You've been out for two days, and I was starting to get worried."

Sonny tried to move. "Where—

"You're in my bedroom. Apparently, Dr. Robotnik's robots broke into my house while the G. U. N. forces were preoccupied by the ones who stuck around downtown. Fortunately, nothing was stolen, but they did trash up the place pretty good. The robots were destroyed as well, but G. U. N. isn't sure how, and in their place were all these unconscious or confused children. My mom hid in the basement the entire time, and then when it was all over she found me and you passed out on the front lawn. Then when she learned you were living by yourself, she decided to keep you here till you recovered."

"You're going to have to repeat all that once I'm more awake, and my head hurts like hell," Sonny replied rubbing his forehead.

"Mine did too after I woke up, but it went away after a while."

"I wonder what those robots were after."

"I can't say for certain, but I think I have an idea." Miles reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a large yellow gemstone that glowed brightly in the well-lit room.

"What is it?" Sonny asked.

"I don't know. I was out walking in the park one day, and then I found this lying in some bushes."

"Maybe we should give it to G. U. N."

"Yeah, I thought about doing that, but something tells me this is too important to give away."

"But if your theory is true, then those robots will come back to get it."

"I know, and that's why I'm not sure what to do." Miles put the gemstone away then he reached behind his chair. "By the way, I fixed your skateboard while you were out."

"Wow, really?" Sonny sat up in bed as Miles gave him the skateboard. It looked brand-new with no signs of being torn apart, with the same design and wheels as the previous one. However, one thing that was different was a blue flaming orb design underneath the skateboard with a name next to it in bold lettering.

"'Sonic'?" Sonny said reading the name out loud.

"I'm not exactly sure why I did that," Miles said sheepishly. "I could take it off if you want."

"Don't bother," Sonny replied. "'Sonic' is fine."

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3: Heartache

Chapter 3: Heartache

"You know this is kind of getting ridiculous," Sonny said to Miles while they were having lunch on the school rooftop. "When Dr. Robotnik attacks, we get a few weeks off from school. But then as soon as school's back in session, he decides to attack, and we're off from school again."

"He's only done this twice, Sonny," Miles replied. "The first time was to intimidate the South Islanders by causing a few explosions and taking hostages. Then he attacked again to distract G. U. N. while sending a group of robots to retrieve this."

As Miles spoke, he pulled the giant yellow gemstone out of his hoodie pocket.

Sonny was mesmerized by the gemstone. "Are you sure its safe to carry that thing around with you? Someone might take it."

"And risk the robots attacking my house again?" Miles replied sharply.

"Ahem!"

Sonny and Miles looked up and saw a girl standing in front of them. She had short pink hair that was cut in a bob-shape, green eyes, and wore a dark pink dress with white trimming and matching knee-length boots. Miles quickly put away the gemstone, while Sonny gave the girl an odd look.

"How did you get up here?" Sonny asked.

"The door was left open," the girl replied. Then she turned to Miles. "What was that thing you were holding?"

"Um, just a rock I found on the way to school," Miles lied.

"That's shaped like a gem?" The girl said as she folded her arms.

Before Miles could answer, Sonny interrupted. "Why are you so interested?"

The girl sighed. "Because I have a gemstone that's looks exactly like it, only silver in color."

"You do?" Miles and Sonny said at the same time.

"But the reason I came up here is because I found these pictures on my phone that show you guys doing some weird things, and I don't know how they got there." The girl reached into a pocket of her dress, but her eyes widened when she came up with nothing. "Oh, I guess I left my phone at home by accident."

"Well, can you describe the pictures?" Miles asked.

"Its kind of embarrassing, but in them—

The bell rang.

"Why don't you come over to my house after school?" the girl said, taking out a pen from her other pocket. "I'll show you the pictures and the gemstone if you like."

Before Sonny could say anything, the girl picked up his hand and wrote something in it. Then she ran off, leaving Sonny and Miles puzzled. While Miles picked up his lunchbox and backpack, Sonny looked down at his palm and saw an address written in cursive handwriting.

"Who was that?" Sonny asked out loud.

"That was Amelia Rosen," Miles said as he walked past Sonny towards the rooftop entrance. "She's in Room 1993 and is known for being super demanding and extremely lady-like, hence everyone around school calls her 'The Princess.'"

"I can see why."

###

Later that day, Sonny was about to meet up with Miles when Mr. Chaplain appeared around the corner Sonny was about to walk towards. He asked Sonny to come to his office, and Sonny did after some hesitation. They walked through the school's gymnasium, past the locker-rooms, and into a small office space with pictures of tropical islands and old-fashioned ships on the walls.

"Am I in trouble?" Sonny asked immediately.

"No, Sonny, I just wanted to talk," Mr. Chaplain said assuredly. "You haven't responded to my email in over a month, and I would like to know why."

"Well, sir, it's just that I don't know if I'm cut out for the track-team," Sonny replied looking down at his buckled shoes. "That record-breaking run I did on the first day…I've never run that fast before in my life, and I can't explain how I did it."

"You don't have to explain it. I know what it is."

Sonny looked up in surprise.

"I know talent when I see it, and I think you've got what it takes to bring our track-team to the big leagues," Mr. Chaplain said twiddling a plastic martini sword in his hands. "But whether you want to unlock this potential or not is up to you."

At first, Sonny was relieved that Mr. Chaplain hadn't caught onto his secret power, but then he weighed the options in his mind. _If I join the track-team I_ _'_ _ll satisfy Mr. Chaplain_ _'_ _s expectations, but it will only be a matter of time before he finds out about the Sonic Phase_ _. But if I don_ _'_ _t he'll be displeased but then I won't have to reveal the Sonic Phase_.

A cellphone ring interrupted Sonny's thoughts, until he realized it was his. He pulled it out of his pocket, and saw that the caller was Miles. Immediately, Sonny flipped the phone open and answered. "Hello?"

" _Hey, Sonny, where are you? We_ _'_ _re supposed to be heading to Amelia_ _'_ _s house right now_ ," Miles said on the other hand.

"I'm in Mr. Chaplain's office. I'll meet you outside the school building when I'm done."

" _Well_ _, you_ _'_ _d better hurry because I hear that Amelia hates people who are tardy_."

"All right, I will," Sonny said irritably, and hung up. "Sorry, Mr. Chaplain. It was an important phone-call."

"No offense taken," Mr. Chaplain said. "So what is your decision?"

"I…I'll need a little more time to think about it, then let you know."

"I understand, but the track-team's first meeting is tomorrow and I would like to know before then."

"Will do."

Then Sonny left the office, and walked as fast as he could to the front of the school building. He felt the Sonic Phase coming over him, but Sonny mentally suppressed it. Once he got outside, Miles was waiting for him and the two walked over to a nearby bus-stop.

"So what did Mr. Chaplain have to say?" Miles asked as they waited.

"He asked if I wanted to join the school track-team or not," Sonny replied.

"I think you should. Those laps you ran on the first day were so cool."

"Did someone tell you about them?"

"No, I was watching from the school bleachers. My class ended early that day, and so I went there to watch the gym class."

"I see." Sonny scratched the back of his head, and said, "What if I told you that I don't know how I ran that fast?"

"What do you mean?"

A distant explosion caught the boys' attention and they saw several shapes surrounding a distinguished house near the downtown area.

"It's Dr. Robotnik's robots," Sonny said clenching his fists. "And they're attacking that house."

"Yeah, and I think I know whose house that is," Miles said, and grabbed one of Sonny's hands.

"What are you doing?" Sonny said in surprise.

"Hold on," Miles said and examined Sonny's palm with the address still written on it though the ink had faded. Then he looked back at the house in the distance and sighed. "Just as I thought. The robots are attacking Amelia's house."

"We've got to help her," Sonny said as he was about to run.

"But what can we do?" Miles asked.

"I don't know, but I can't stand here and watch."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"All right, but I'll need you to get on my back."

"What?"

"Just do it, and hold on."

Confused, Miles climbed onto Sonny's back and gripped him tightly around the shoulders. Then Sonny took off running, and picked up speed as the Sonic Phase took over. While Miles was screaming at the top of his lungs, Sonny was sprinting across streets and through alleyways to get ahead of the G. U. N. tanks who were pointing their guns at the house.

" _Hand over the Chaos Emerald, and you will not be harmed_ ," one of the robots said, pointing its laser gun at a girl with short pink hair, slanted turquoise-green pupils, and matching pink hedgehog ears and tail.

A large gaping hole stood where a bedroom window used to be behind the robot. Meanwhile, the girl was backed against the wall opposite the window. To her left was a writing desk with a small pink laptop on it while to her right was an open bedroom door leading into an empty hallway.

In response, the girl put the silver-colored gemstone she held in one hand into her dress-pocket and raised the pink and yellow hammer she wielded in the other. "No way! I'm not giving this gemstone to anybody, least of all you!"

Before the robot had the chance to fire, the girl leaped forward and slammed the hammer right into the robot which sent it flying out the window. After it exploded, a small boy fell out of the wreckage, but Tails managed to catch him. Meanwhile, Sonic was busy dealing with the other robots who immediately fired their lasers at him. But he dodged every single one and bopped the robots on their heads, causing them to fall apart and children to fall out. He managed to catch them before they hit the ground, then Sonic felt someone hugging him from behind, and turned around to see the girl with the pink hedgehog ears.

"Amy?" Sonic said in a baffled tone. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing, but I'm happy enough just to see you again," the girl Amy said, still hugging Sonic. Then she let go and twirled around. "How do you like my new look?"

Tails flew over from the small boy and got between Amy and Sonic. "Um, Amy, this really isn't something to joke about."

"But it's the only way I can cope without freaking out," Amy said irritably. "Unless you can explain how we got into this situation."

"Unfortunately, not at the moment," Tails replied. "My memories are kind of hazy."

"Same here," Sonic responded. Then just as he was about to speak again, Sonic passed out.

"Sonic!" Amy shouted, kneeling down, but then she fell over on her side and went unconscious.

"Oh, no, this always happens after we battle the robots," Tails exclaimed, feeling himself grow weaker. "I wonder if there's some way to make these moments…last…longer…"

After that, Tails passed out as well.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4: Discovery

Chapter 4: Discovery

"I can't believe it," Sonny said a few days after Dr. Robotnik's robots attacked Amelia's house. He was on the school rooftop with Miles and Amelia, the latter of whom had brought a picnic-style lunch to apologize for the pictures she didn't remember taking. "First, those G. U. N. guys confiscated those gemstones from us while we were unconscious and then it turns out we've all been experiencing lapses in memory lately."

"Then based on Amelia's pictures, it seems you and I grew animal ears and tails during those memory lapses," Miles said playing with his plastic fork. "Though it does explain the embarrassing tears I've been noticing on my clothes these past few days."

"Yeah," Amelia sighed.

Sonny rolled his eyes. "So what are we supposed to do about all this? G. U. N. had no right to take the gemstones."

"But they weren't ours to begin with," Miles noted. "And it was because of those gemstones that my house and Amelia's got attacked by Dr. Robotnik's robots in the first place."

"At least the gems will be safer with G. U. N.," Amelia added. "Though I don't understand why Dr. Robotnik went through all the trouble of trying to obtain them."

"I don't know, but it can't be good," Miles said.

"Do you think there are other gemstones like the ones we found?" Sonny asked.

Miles shook his head. "It's hard to say. I wouldn't be surprised if there were, but if that's the case then more lives could be endangered if anyone else finds them."

"Then we should find the other gems before Dr. Robotnik does," Sonny said as he ate the last two finger sandwiches.

"Or we could just do nothing and let G. U. N. handle it," Amelia said.

"How can you say that, Amelia?" Miles folded his arms. "We've been confronting Dr. Robotnik's forces ever since he started attacking South Island, even though we can't remember doing it, so we're involved in this whether you like it or not."

"Well, I'm not," Amelia replied. "Now can we please talk about something else?"

"Fine, have it your way," Sonny said mockingly.

###

Later after school, Sonny was planning to meet up with Miles but he was being cornered by Zak, Zaz, and Zom near the football field. They looked unhappy and had their fists out. Sonny gritted his teeth, and ran towards them. To his surprise, the Sonic Phase activated and Sonny managed to get Miles away from the bullies before they could lay a hand on him.

After Sonny had stopped a ways from the football field, Miles slowly spoke. "Sonny, did you just—

"Do the same thing I did when Amelia's house was being attacked? Yeah, I've been meaning to tell you about it for a while," Sonny replied. "But let's keep walking."

Miles did as Sonny said, and the two walked on while the bullies were still wondering what happened.

Sonny took a deep breath and explained, "Ever since the first day of school, I've been able to run faster than a normal human. I'm sure where this power came from, and I don't know how to control it either. So that's why I declined to join the track-team, and I'm sorry I didn't let you in on this secret sooner."

"No, you don't have to apologize," Miles said assuredly. "You weren't sure if you could trust me or not."

"It's not that I didn't trust you, Miles. I just didn't know how you'd react."

"I can relate. In fact, I've developed an unusual power too."

"Like what?"

"Well, remember when I fixed your skateboard for you? I don't know how I did it. Lately, I've been able to solve problems or fix things that I have never solved or fixed before."

"Do you think it might have something to do with our lapses in memory and those transformations?"

"Possibly, but we won't know unless we test these new abilities."

"That's what I've been doing for the past two months, but I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere."

"So you need my help?"

"Yeah, but I'll help you if you're willing."

"All right, Sonny, you've got yourself a referee." Then after Sonny and him shook hands, Miles asked. "By the way, what do you call this new power?"

"Um, I've decided to call it the Sonic Phase. Yours?"

"I call mine the Tailspin Moment."

###

In the following weeks, Sonny and Miles got together on the weekends and went to a secluded area surrounded by palm trees and boulders a few miles from the town to practice their abilities. While Sonny ran, Miles used the stopwatch to calculate how long it took Sonny to activate the Sonic Phase, the duration of the Sonic Phase, and how long it took for Sonny to get out of the Sonic Phase. Then when Miles was solving different equations in a handbook and/or fixing broken machines he stole from the town's junkyard, Sonny would use the stopwatch to calculate the same things. They also used this time to try and find more gemstones similar to the ones they had previously, but Sonny and Miles always came up with nothing.

"This is hopeless, Miles," Sonny complained one day. "We'll never find those gemstones before Dr. Robotnik strikes again."

"This would go a lot faster if we had some way to detect them," Miles said. Then he snapped his finger. "That's it! I'll build a detector!"

"But how?"

"When I had that yellow one in my possession, I studied it quite thoroughly and took a lot of detailed notes. Maybe I can use that data to implement into a machine that will pick up the energy that seemed to emanate from those gems. Now if only we knew what to call those gemstones."

" _Chaos Emerald detected_."

Sonny and Miles looked up and saw Dr. Robotnik's robots hovering above. They didn't seem to notice the two boys, and flew southward. Once they had gone, Sonny was about to run after the robots when Miles stopped him.

"We can't go after them, Sonny," Miles said firmly. "Not until we figure out how to unlock those transformations."

"But now's as good a time as any to try it out," Sonny replied.

"And what if it doesn't work? We could get captured by those robots, or killed."

"Then stay here if you're so worried about getting hurt."

Sonny wrenched his hand out of Miles' grasp, and took off in a blue blur.

###

The robots arrived at a beach on the other side of the island outlined by palm trees on one side and a clear blue sea on the other. They hovered above the sand and combed the beach thoroughly till something shiny lying underneath a dead palm tree caught their eyes. But as they flew towards it, a blue blur ran past them and got to the dead palm tree first. It was Sonic, and he picked up a large green gemstone from underneath the dead palm tree just as the robots aimed their lasers at him.

" _Hand over the Chaos Emerald, Sonic, or we will shoot_ ," one of the robots said.

"So you finally remembered my name?" Sonic said gripping the green Chaos Emerald in his palm. "Congratulations, tin-can."

Before the robots could fire, Sonic jumped into the air and rolled up in a ball. He managed to destroy three robots in a row by hitting them over the head in ball-form, causing children to emerge from them. The rest flew back to get a safe distance from Sonic, but he was faster and got two of them in one run. Then one of the robots flew out toward the water, and Sonic tried to follow but he found himself stop at the shore-line suddenly.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," Sonic said to himself. "I can't swim."

The robot fired at Sonic a few feet from the shore, forcing Sonic to dodge the laser shots but he did not dare to leap towards the robot out of fear of falling into the ocean. Then Tails came flying over the treetops and rammed himself into the airborne robot by curling into a ball himself. But when the robot was destroyed, a small child fell into the water. Fortunately, Tails flew down and picked up the child to put him with the others who were looking around in confusion. Three other robots remained, but before Sonic and Tails could lay a hand on them, they took off in the opposite direction.

"Let's go after them, Tails," Sonic said.

"Yeah," Tails responded, nodding.

But along the way, Tails saw something and forced Sonic to stop. In the sand lay a small walkie-talkie that was red and yellow. Tails picked it up and a menacing voice came from it. " _Hello, is this Sonic?_ "

"Yeah," Sonic said taking the walkie-talkie from Tails' hands. "Who wants to know?"

" _I am Dr. Robotnik. We_ _'_ _ve not officially met, but I know a great deal about you._ "

"What do you mean?"

" _If you wish to know, then I_ _'_ _ll need a small favor in return for my information._ "

"Such as?"

" _Find the remaining Chaos Emeralds that are scattered about this island and bring them to me._ "

"And if I refuse?"

" _Then your girlfriend will be robotized._ "

"Amy? Why you—

The walkie-talkie exploded in Sonic's hand, causing him to flinch before he slipped into unconscious followed by Tails.

###

When Sonny and Miles woke up, the sun was lying low over the horizon across the ocean. With the green Chaos Emerald still in hand, Sonny rubbed the back of his head. Miles did the same, and then he sighed.

"Can you remember anything?" Miles asked.

"No, but we should take those kids back to town," Sonny said, pointing to the group of children gathering near the fallen palm tree. "They look lost."

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5: Trust

Chapter 5: Trust

"Amelia's been gone from school for quite some time," Miles said as he and Sonny walked to class after lunch. "It's starting to worry me."

"I'm sure it's no big deal," Sonny responded. "How's that detector-thing coming along?"

"Pretty well, actually. With an actual Chaos Emerald in our possession once more, I've been able to implement more data into the machine about the gemstone's properties."

"Chaos Emerald?"

"That's what the robots called it when we ran into them at that clearing last week."

"Right. Something about that name seems fitting, though I'm not sure why."

"Yeah, same here."

After Sonny left Miles, he walked past the fitness room which was next to the gymnasium. Inside, there was a single boy about his age with long red hair wearing a red shirt and matching boxer shorts. His hands were covered in large white boxing-gloves and he was rhythmically hitting a punching-bag on the far side of the room. But what caught Sonny's attention more was a single red gemstone lying on a bench near the boy.

 _It looks the right shape, so it_ _'_ _s got to be a Chaos Emerald_ , Sonny thought as he stepped into the fitness room.

The red-haired boy didn't seem to hear him enter, and so Sonny attempted to approach the bench with the red gemstone on it. Then the warning bell rang, which caught Sonny off-guard and the red-haired boy. He broke from his concentrated boxing and looked toward the door where he saw Sonny.

"What are you doing here?" the red-haired boy asked.

"I uh, have to go," Sonny said, and left the fitness room.

In response, the red-haired boy pursued Sonny. "Hey, wait, you didn't answer my question!"

Sonny flinched and, noticing that no one else was in the hallway, used the Sonic Phase to get away from the red-haired boy. He got out to the football field in time just as Mr. Chaplain was doing roll-call. _You know what, I_ _'_ _m actually starting to get the hang of this Sonic Phase_ , Sonny thought to himself.

It was then that Sonny remembered something, though the memory was not his own. He saw Miles standing next to him, only his eyes were differently shaped, and he had a pair of fox ears sprouting from his head. In his hand he held a yellow and red walkie-talkie, where a voice spoke from it. Then Sonny's hand took the walkie-talkie away from Miles and the voice was much clearer. Though as the memory started to fade the voice became more distant, except for one word that stuck to Sonny's mind: Robotnik.

"Are you all right, Sonny?" Mr. Chaplain asked, approaching Sonny as he was holding his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonny responded. "I just have a slight headache."

###

Later that day, Sonny met up with Miles on the bleachers next to the football field and told him what happened before gym class.

"If you saw me with fox ears, then that means you were remembering something from your transformed self," Miles said gleefully. "This is great news."

"But that doesn't explain how I remembered it," Sonny responded with his arms folded.

"Maybe the further we master our new abilities, the more memories we regain while we're transformed."

"Yeah, let's hope you're right." Sonny looked over his shoulder and saw the red-haired boy approaching him still wearing his boxing gloves. "Uh-oh, here comes the guy I was telling you about."

Miles noticed the red-haired boy as well, and stood up. "Well, I'll let you handle this one. I'm going to go look for a Chaos Emerald with my new detector."

"But Miles, shouldn't I come along in case Dr. Robotnik's robots show up again?"

"I'll be fine, Sonny. I trust that my transformed self will protect me."

Then before Sonny could protest, Miles took off down the bleachers.

Meanwhile, the red-haired boy caught up to Sonny and stood firmly with his arms folded. "I've been looking all over the school for you, Sonny Hedge."

Sonny flinched. "You know my name?"

"I asked around and you seem to have gotten pretty popular with the freshman since those miraculous laps you ran in gym class on the first day. Four laps around the football field in five seconds? Give me a break! Either those freshman were exaggerating or you were using some kind of enhancement drug."

"No way! I've never used enhancement drugs in my life."

"All right, then, prove it by running around the bleachers in one second."

"Look, buddy, I—

"What's the matter, Sonny? Too chicken to run?"

Sonny hesitated, then he sighed. "Fine, I'll do it. But don't be surprised if I get back sooner."

While the red-haired boy took a stopwatch from a pocket in his shorts, Sonny stretched his legs and arms for a bit. Then when the red-haired boy gave the signal, Sonny ran. The Sonic Phase kicked in immediately, and Sonny went all the way around the bleachers and back in less than the blink of an eye. When the red-haired boy stopped the watch, he was stunned by the numbers.

"Wow, you really are fast," the red-haired boy said. "It took you exactly one second to run around the bleachers."

"Oh, man, I really am getting good," Sonny said to himself.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing." Sonny cleared his throat and said, "So, uh, what did you want to see me about?"

"I wanted to know why you showed up in the fitness room early today."

"Well, I wanted to ask you about that red gemstone I saw on the bench."

"You mean this thing?" The red-haired boy reached into his other shorts-pocket and pulled out the red gem that Sonny eyed before. "I found it in the pond by my house, and I've been using it as a good-luck charm since."

"I see. Could I, um, borrow it for a bit?"

"What for?"

"For a…science project. My science class is studying minerals, and I need to present something next week or my grade will suffer."

The red-haired boy looked down at the gem, then back at Sonny. After a brief sigh, he tossed the gemstone to Sonny, who immediately caught it. "Fine, but be sure to give it back no later than next week. I'll be needing it for my next match."

"So you're a boxer?" Sonny said as he pocketed the red gemstone.

"I thought the gloves and shorts would give it away. I'm Chuck Kidman, head of the school boxing club, but my nickname is Knuckles."

"Knuckles…" Sonny suddenly remembered one of his nightmares, which he had been having less frequently now, where he called that name out to a figure with a zig-zag tail and large fists who was fighting against the silhouette with the spikes and red eyes. Then he shook his head and said to Chuck, "I like it."

###

" _You said his nickname was Knuckles?_ " Miles asked on the other end of Sonny's cellphone. " _Why does that sound familiar?_ "

"I don't know, and that's what bugs me," Sonny replied as he skateboarded home.

" _Maybe Chuck's someone like us, and our other selves know it_."

"Yeah, but we won't know unless we talk to him."

Then Sonny heard the sound of jets on the other end of his phone, followed by Miles' scream.

"What is it, Miles?" Sonny asked.

" _Dr. Robotnik's robots…they're everywhere._ "

"Where are you?"

" _North of the town there's a waterfall, and beyond that there's a lake. I'm on the western shore by a rock formation that looks like a loop-the-loop_."

"Okay, I'll be there."

After Sonny hung up, he skateboarded towards the waterfall north of town. Once he got there, he noticed a hiking trail leading up to the top of the waterfall, and decided to leave his skateboard with a stationed park ranger. Next, Sonny did some stretches, and took off up the trail. The Sonic Phase not only got him up to the waterfall top but also the western shore of the large pristine lake that reflected the orange and purple clouds where Sonny saw the rock formation Miles was talking about. It was brown with a row of grass on top and really shaped like a loop-the-loop. He was just about to stop, when Sonny noticed the blue aura cloud his vision and found himself running towards the rock structure.

Sonic ran the loop-the-loop, and the rock formation surprisingly held strong. At the end of it, Sonic found a broken machine that looked like a handheld radio and a small note with a greenish-blue Chaos Emerald attached. He examined the machine and found the green Chaos Emerald he and Tails found on the beach inside a hidden compartment. Next, Sonic picked up the note, reading it out loud:

 _Dear Sonic,_

 _I'm getting tired of waiting for those Chaos Emeralds, so I thought I'd up the stakes a bit. Your friend Tails is safe with me, but if you don't want him and Amy to be roboticized, then you'd better do as I say. The Chaos Emerald that is attached to this note is the one Tails found and assuming you found the red one that now leaves you with three Chaos Emeralds. Unfortunately, the last two will be tricky to obtain because they're locked inside the G. U. N. base. So I've left a list of instructions I want you to follow on the back of this note. Best of luck._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Dr. Robotnik_

"I swear, Dr. Robotnik," Sonic said, picking up the cyan Chaos Emerald that was next to the note. "When I get my hands on you, I'm going to make you pay for all the trouble you've caused!"

Then Sonic knelt down on the ground, and temporarily blacked out.

###

Sonny woke up, and found himself next to the lake just as the sun was disappearing over the horizon. He held a cyan-colored gemstone in one hand and a note in the other. Then he noticed the broken machine with its battery compartment open, revealing the green Chaos Emerald inside. After reading the note, Sonny picked up the machine and turned it on. The computer screen went on and off, but after Sonny shook it a little bit, the screen stabilized revealing a gem-shaped icon and a small beeping noise came from the machine. He waved the machine over the cyan and red gemstones, and to his surprise the machine beeped more quickly before the screen went black.

"So they were Chaos Emeralds," Sonny said, and put them both in his pockets along with the note. He gripped the useless detector in his hands and murmured, "I'm going to save you, Miles, Amelia, and all the other people who were imprisoned by Dr. Robotnik, if it's the last thing I do."

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6: Infiltration

Chapter 6: Infiltration

It had now been two days since Miles had been kidnapped by Dr. Robotnik's robots, and Sonny was busy making preparations for breaking into the G. U. N. base. He knew Chuck would get suspicious if the red Chaos Emerald wasn't returned next week, and Sonny figured that the longer he waited the more likely Dr. Robotnik would go ahead and roboticize Amelia and Miles despite his promise. So he planned to break in Friday night and then bring the Chaos Emeralds to Dr. Robotnik's base the same day. In the meantime, Sonny practiced the Sonic Phase more vigorously than before while trying to figure out how to save the children Dr. Robotnik took as hostages, whom Sonny figured were being used to power the robots based on his previous encounters with them, but still not give up the Emeralds. Then after some introspection, Sonny decided to trust that his other self would find a way.

Once Friday night rolled around, Sonny took his backpack with the red, green, and bright-blue Chaos Emeralds inside and made the long dash to the southern part of the island where the G. U. N. base was located. Behind a thick wall of trees stood an electric fence with two sets of guards patrolling on both sides. The base itself was a huge building made of steel and concrete with no apparent entryways, and there were at least two watchtowers with searchlights sweeping over the surrounding area. When one searchlight came in Sonny's direction, he hid behind a large boulder and took out a flashlight to read Dr. Robotnik's instructions, which said:

 _Dear Sonic,_

 _When you get to the G. U. N. base, make your way to the generator that powers the electric fence and shut it down. Then while the guards are distracted, jump over the fence and onto the roof of the building. Up there, you_ _'_ _ll find an entrance to the air vents. Follow them till you come to a small laboratory and enter it. The Chaos Emeralds will be located inside a glass case, but you_ _'_ _ll need to deactivate the alarm with the password 2001 before grabbing them. After that, make your way out of the air-vent, and then once you_ _'_ _re on the roof move toward the back of the base. There should be a narrow gap between the building and the fence which you_ _'_ _ll need to jump over to escape the base._

 _From there, bring the other Emeralds you_ _'_ _ve obtained and head to the volcano on the northern part of the island. There, you will find two robots guarding an entryway, and they will point their guns at you. However, once you show them the Chaos Emeralds they will lower their weapons and escort you inside. If you follow my instructions to the letter, you won_ _'_ _t get caught. But if you try anything funny, there will be dire consequences._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Dr. Robotnik_

"He says I shouldn't do anything funny," Sonny said as he turned off the flashlight and stood up. "But—

A blue aura surrounded Sonny, though he wasn't afraid this time.

"He didn't say anything about me not being allowed to handle this situation _my_ way." Sonic crumbled the letter up and threw it at the nearest guard's head.

The guard flinched and pointed his gun in Sonic's direction, but Sonic ran before he could fire. Afterwards, the other guard joined in and they both pursued the blue blur that appeared in front of them for a second, and then was gone as it hit them over the heads and flew over the electric fence. On the other side, the searchlights concentrated on Sonic while the guards stationed in the towers fired at him. But he was too fast and managed to roll his way up to the roof where he dashed all the way to the air vent entrance before the guards managed to scale the roof. Inside, Sonic crouched down and crawled his way through a maze of air vents till he found the laboratory Dr. Robotnik was referring to.

Through the filter, Sonic could see two men in lab-coats examining the yellow and silver Chaos Emeralds through microscopes, while a purple one sat perched in the glass case which was open for the time-being. Then some armed guards came in and told the men in lab-coats about an intruder. In response, they took the yellow and silver Chaos Emeralds, locked them in the case, and followed the armed guards out of the laboratory. Once they were gone, Sonic kicked the filter open, jumped down, and walked over to the glass case. He typed the password in the keypad next to the case, which opened it, and allowed him to take the three Chaos Emeralds without triggering the alarm. After he put them in his backpack, Sonic made his way back to the air-vent. But just as he got to the entrance, Sonic heard voices and feet shuffling.

"Do you think that thing will show up?" one guard said, standing in front of the air-vent entrance.

"I don't know. Keep your eyes peeled," replied another guard nearby. "That's what the Commander said."

After the other guard left, the one guard moved away from the air-vent, allowing Sonic to see the rest of the roof. There were armored guards standing everywhere, walking here and there with guns that had laser pointers attached to them. Sonic briefly waited till there was a clear lane between him and the edge of the roof before he jumped out of the air-vent entrance and ran. The guards immediately fired at him, though to them he was nothing more than a streak of neon-blue, but he managed to barely miss their bullets. As he picked up momentum, Sonic curled up into a ball and flew over the courtyard between the building and the main entrance. He managed to get on the other side, but Sonic didn't stop rolling until he was several miles away from the base before he collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7: Unity

Chapter 7: Unity

When Sonny came to, the sun was rising above the trees. He was lying on the ground with his face down, and his feet ached unbearably. But then in a moment, everything came back to him. He remembered breaking into the G. U. N. base, stealing the remaining three Chaos Emeralds, and then running away. Afterwards, Sonny got to his knees and removed his knapsack which was surprisingly light. Then he opened it, and found the six Chaos Emeralds inside.

"Well, at least I wasn't dreaming," Sonny said to himself. "Now to find Dr. Robotnik."

While he no longer had the letter, Sonny vaguely recalled it saying something about heading for the volcano at the northern part of the island. Unsure of which way was north, Sonny made his way through the thick tropical underbrush till he came to a dirt road. He followed it all the way back to town, but discovered several G. U. N. soldiers and tanks lurking about.

"What are you doing out here, boy?" said one guard who noticed Sonny as he tried to sneak away. "You should be inside your home."

"Uh, why?" Sonny asked.

"There's a new menace on the island that may be connected to Dr. Robotnik. It attacked our base and may be heading for this town, so go home and stay inside."

Figuring that the soldier was referring to his other self, Sonny decided to question the man further. "Do you know what this menace looks like?"

"I haven't seen it myself, but I've been told that it appears as a streak of blue that moves faster than the blink of an eye. Hence, we have dubbed it 'The Blue Blur.'"

"I see. Well, thanks for letting me know, officer," Sonny replied, and walked away.

###

Once he got to his apartment, Sonny went on his computer and figured out where the volcano was located. Then he had a quick meal consisting of a leftover chili-dog and some soda. After that, Sonny made sure nobody was around outside before stepping out of his apartment. On the ground-floor, Sonny stretched his arms and legs before taking off north in the direction of the volcano. Like yesterday, the Sonic Phase kicked in immediately and he was standing before the volcano in a matter of minutes. There were two robots circling around a certain patch of ground that was circular with two eyes and an overgrown mustache. Sonny hesitated, but then he took the six Chaos Emeralds out of his knapsack and carried them over.

"Um, is this the entrance to Dr. Robotnik's secret lair?" Sonny said, getting the robots' attention.

" _What business do you have with Dr. Robotnik?_ " one of the robots said, pointing its laser-gun at Sonny.

"I came to bring him these," Sonny said, showing the Chaos Emeralds. "I've been told they're important."

" _He has Chaos Emeralds. Six in total_." The other robot scanned the gemstones with his eyes and then he looked at Sonny. " _Are you Sonic?_ "

"Yeah," Sonny said hesitantly.

" _Dr. Robotnik is expecting you_ ," replied the first robot.

Then Sonny followed the two robots over to the circular patch of ground. In a few minutes, the patch began to sink into the ground until it came to an underground hallway made of some kind of metal alloy. The robots hovered down the hallway, with Sonny behind them. Several doors unlocked and closed behind the three, until they came to a chamber with several control panels on the floor-level with a spiraling metal staircase leading up to a platform where a second set of control panels lay. In the center was a circular seat cloaked in shadow while in front of it a beam of light held a royal-blue Chaos Emerald within. Sonny kept his eye on it as he ascended the stairs with the two robots on either side of him and stood before the circular seat.

The seat turned around, revealing a shadowy figure who spoke in a gruff but menacing voice. "Welcome to my underground lair, Sonic, though I must admit that you look more…different."

"Where are my friends?" Sonny said abruptly.

"They are fine, Sonic. My robots are fetching them now as we speak." The figure extended his hand out, which was gloved in white. "Now hand over the Chaos Emeralds."

Sonny didn't loosen his grip on the Chaos Emeralds in his arms. "Not until I see my friends, Dr. Robotnik."

The figure's hand gripped into a fist, then he reclined it back into the shadow. "I see your impatience hasn't improved with this new form you've taken, Sonic."

"New form? What are you talking about?"

"Surely, you must've figured out by now that these bodies we now occupy are not the same as our own. But despite my brilliant intellect, I'm not sure what caused this."

"But you said on the walkie-talkie that you know a lot about me. Were you lying?"

"No, Sonic, I meant what I said. I know everything about you based on our previous encounters, but this current predicament puzzles me."

Before Sonny could respond, a pair of rocket jets caught his attention. Behind the shadowed figure appeared two robots who held Miles and Amelia in their arms. They landed on the platform as Amelia and Miles looked at Sonny with surprise.

"Sonny," Amelia said. "What are you doing here?"

"To save you guys," Sonny replied.

"Don't give the Chaos Emeralds to Dr. Robotnik," Miles said as he struggled against the robots' tight grip. "He's planning to use them as an unlimited energy source for his machines so he can eliminate the G. U. N. forces and take over South Island!"

"Quiet, boy!" Dr. Robotnik shouted and snapped his finger.

The robot that held Miles suddenly radiated with electricity, causing Miles to get electrocuted in the process.

"Miles!" Sonny cried, and was held back by the two robots who escorted him before he could move.

Amelia turned to Dr. Robotnik. "You monster!"

"That was only a minor electrical shock, Amy, so your friend will recover," Dr. Robotnik said. "But the next shock could be fatal unless you give me the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic."

Sonny looked at the two robots, Amelia, the unconscious Miles, and Dr. Robotnik. "All right. If you want the Chaos Emeralds so badly, then here they are!"

Dragging the robots with him, Sonny dashed toward the dark-blue Chaos Emerald in the beam of light. But the beam prevented Sonny from grabbing it, and instead sent an electric current that shocked him and the two robots. Then the Chaos Emerald and the other ones Sonny held suddenly started to glow and levitate around Sonny. There was a flash of light and Sonny found himself standing in a white void with no beginning or end to it dotted by vague colorless structures on the horizon.

"About time you showed up, Sonny Hedge," said a voice.

Sonny turned around and saw a boy that looked exactly like himself, only with spiked hair that ran down past his shoulders, slanted green pupils, white gloves, sporting blue hedgehog ears and a tail.

"Are you…the other me?" Sonny asked, though he already knew the answer.

"The other you? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog," the other boy replied. "You're just the owner of this body I'm inhabiting right now."

Sonny hesitated and then he asked, "Are you a ghost?"

"A ghost?" Sonic scratched his head, and said, "That would explain a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't remember exactly how I got here, but the same images keep coming back to me consisting of fire and smoke with my friends being slain by something."

"Then the nightmares I've been having lately…were your memories?"

"Yeah, I guess so. In any case, I somehow merged with your body and that's why I look the way I do."

"So let me get this straight," Sonny said with exasperation. "You're a spirit, or something like one, with partial amnesia who has merged with my body and occasionally takes it over when I'm in trouble. Correct?"

Sonic shrugged. "It seems that way."

"What about Amelia and Miles? Are they possessed by spirits like yourself?"

"Yes. Miles is possessed by Tails, who is my best friend, and Amelia is possessed by Amy, who is my self-proclaimed girlfriend."

"Do you know if there are others?"

"I know Dr. Robotnik is possessed by my arch-nemesis Dr. Eggman, and that Chuck guy might have a spirit. But otherwise, I'm not sure."

"How do you know everything about me if you're a ghost from another world?"

"Like I said, I'm merged with your body. So I share my memories with you, and you share your memories with me."

"I see." Sonny folded his arms. "Well, can you please leave my body? I didn't asked to be taken over by some strange being from another dimension that can't remember anything. It also doesn't help that every time you take over, I'm left with blank spaces in my memory, which make me question what happened or what I did."

"I understand how you feel and I wish I could, Sonny, but I can't."

Sonny blinked. "What do you mean you can't?"

"I don't know how," Sonic said as he started doing warm-up stretches in front of Sonny.

"Then I'm stuck with you. Is that it?"

"For now, unless we find a way."

"Like what? Help you regain your memories?"

"Well, that's a start." After he finished his warm-up stretches, Sonic held his hand out to Sonny. "How about this? If you help me regain my memories, I'll only possess you when you want me to. But if I don't leave your body when that happens, then I won't possess you at all."

"Fine," Sonny replied, and shook Sonic's hand. "Now let's kick Dr. Robotnik's butt together!"

"You bet!" Sonic said eagerly.

###

The beam fizzled out, and in its place floated Sonic, whose hair had turned yellow and was standing on edge. His eyes had gone from forest-green to ruby-red, and a gold-colored aura surrounded him. Miles and Amelia were astounded while Dr. Robotnik started to lean back in his chair.

"What's the matter, Dr. Eggman?" Sonic grinned. "Did you think I rammed into that light beam just to kill myself? It was the only way I could get that last Chaos Emerald and achieve my Super Sonic form, which I'm going to use to beat you."

"Damn you, Sonic!" Dr. Robotnik pointed his finger at Sonic. "Robots, destroy him and his friends!"

The two robots that held Sonny fired their lasers at Sonic, but he dodged them and flew behind them to kick them from behind. One robot knocked into the one that held Amelia captive while the other ran into Miles' robot captor. It forced the robots to let go, allowing Amelia and Miles to run over to Sonic just as the four robots exploded, revealing the children inside them. Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman, responded by pressing a button that caused his chair to be encapsulated in a white half-sphere that emerged beneath the floor while small rockets appeared beneath it and levitated it into the air.

"If you want to catch me before I blow the place up, then I dare you to follow!" Dr. Eggman shouted as a steering wheel appeared from inside the sphere.

As Dr. Eggman flew the egg-shaped vehicle above the platform and through a large opening a few levels up, Sonic turned to Amelia and Miles. "I'm going to go after Dr. Eggman. You two should free the hostages and then get out of here in case I don't make it."

"But, Sonny," Amelia started. "Why do you look like that, and why's your voice different?"

"I'll explain later," Sonic said. "Now get going!"

Before Amelia could stop him, Sonic flew up towards the opening and vanished into it.

"Miles, what's going on?" Amelia said, turning to Miles.

"I think Sonny just…reconciled with himself," Miles responded hesitantly.

###

Through the opening, Sonic traveled down a long corridor where robots started appearing out of the walls and shooting at him. But he blazed right through them and nearly caught up to Dr. Eggman's vehicle when a large metal door separated them. Sonic then curled up into a ball and slammed into it multiple times before it caved in. Then from there, it was another platoon of robots who like the previous ones didn't have children inside them, and then at the top of a metallic ramp Sonic came to the inside of the volcano with the cone exposed. Here, there was a conveyor belt that ran all the way out into the volcano where Dr. Eggman was waiting inside his vehicle.

"Nice view isn't it, Sonic?" Dr. Eggman shouted. "But unfortunately, it will be your last!"

Then lasers fired from the front of Dr. Eggman's vehicle, forcing Sonic to dodge them.

Then he flew towards Dr. Eggman at such a remarkable speed that not only did he hit Dr. Eggman's vehicle directly but he also decimated it. As parts of it fell into the magma boiling below, Dr. Eggman fell screaming. But Sonic flew down and grabbed Dr. Eggman, flying him onto a ledge along the cone.

"Sonic, you saved my life," Dr. Eggman said rubbing away non-existent tears. "How can I ever repay you?"

"By leaving South Island and never coming back," Sonic said firmly.

"But aren't you forgetting something, Sonic?" Dr. Eggman reached into his coat-pocket and pulled out a small remote with a big red button on it. "I still have the detonator."

Sonic reacted by kicking Dr. Eggman's hand, which caused the detonator to fly into the air and over the ledge.

"Not anymore," Sonic said as he smirked.

###

On the ground, Amelia, Miles, and the children they freed were met by a legion of G. U. N. soldiers who were marching toward the volcano. They stopped when they saw the children, and the head soldier stepped forward. Amelia and Miles met up with him and explained the situation.

"So you're telling me that Dr. Robotnik used the hostages he kidnapped during the first attack to power his robots in the subsequent attacks, and this was all to distract G. U. N. from his real goal which was to collect gemstones with unlimited energy that were scattered about the island called Chaos Emeralds?" the head soldier summarized. Then after a pause, he said, "That's a lot to swallow, but how did you kids escape?"

"We had help from…a friend," Miles said sheepishly.

"Well, whoever he is, I'd like to thank him," responded the head soldier.

Then suddenly, Dr. Eggman came falling out of the sky with his hands and legs bound by the tails of his yellow and red coat. The G. U. N. soldiers looked up to see where he came from, but saw nothing. However, there was a small note sticking out of the inside of Dr. Eggman's coat which the head soldier grabbed. He unfolded the note which said,

 _Take good care of Dr. Robotnik and be sure to return the kids to their parents._

— _The Blue Blur_

At the bottom of the note was an insignia that looked like a flaming blue ball with ears and eyes.

"All right, boys," the head soldier said, putting the note into his vest-pocket. "Let's get these kids home and take Dr. Robotnik back to the base with us."

"But, sir, what about The Blue Blur?" asked one of the soldiers.

"He's no longer our concern. He saved the hostages and stopped Dr. Robotnik from taking over the island, so I think we should consider him a hero, wherever he may be."

"A lot closer than you think, sarge," Sonic said watching the scene under the cover of foliage. His hair had gone back to blue and his eyes to green.

The blue aura appeared around him once more, as Sonny regained consciousness. He remembered everything that happened, so he wasn't surprised when he saw the seven Chaos Emeralds floating around him. So he smiled and went on a long run across the entire island, finding new resting places for the Chaos Emeralds to keep Dr. Eggman or G. U. N. from finding them. Once he was done, Sonny returned to his apartment where he found Amelia and Miles waiting for him.

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8: Secrets

Chapter 8: Secrets

It had been months since Sonny's alter-ego Sonic defeated Dr. Robotnik and freed the hostages, who were mostly children and used to power the robots Dr. Robotnik attacked South Island with. The G. U. N. forces then took Dr. Robotnik into their custody and transported him to an island prison that was several thousand miles away before leaving South Island themselves. In the time since then, Sonny, Miles, and Amelia were busy trying to understand their newfound powers and the spirits that occupied their bodies. Now, it was the beginning of a new semester with Sonny and Amelia entering eighth grade while Miles was going into seventh grade.

On the first day, the three were greeted by Zak, Zaz, and Zom who prevented them from entering the school building. At first, they tried to walk around them, but the three bullies followed them. Then Sonny walked up to Zak and said, "What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing much," Zak responded nonchalantly.

Zaz then cracked his knuckles. "We just want payback for all the times you interrupted our fun."

"Fun? You mean all those times you picked on me?" Miles said abruptly.

In response, Zaz chuckled. "My, my, you're feistier than I remembered, Miles."

"What are you doing hanging around with these losers, anyway?" Zom said with his massive arms folded. "I thought we were your friends."

"You guys are not my friends," Miles responded. "All you did was bully me and make me do your homework."

Zak gritted his teeth and said, "You're going to regret what you said, Miles."

After that, Zak, Zaz, and Zom walked away while the rest of the students filtered into the school building.

###

"Do you think Dr. Robotnik will show up again?" Miles said out loud during lunch with Sonny and Amelia.

Sonny was so surprised that he nearly chocked on his leftover chili-dog. "What brought that up?"

Miles shrugged. "Well, if he's possessed by some kind of spirit that comes from the same world as Sonic and his friends, then maybe he has powers as well that could allow him to escape the G. U. N. prison."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Amelia said picking a finger sandwich up with a plastic fork. "Besides, we know where the Chaos Emeralds are and Dr. Robotnik doesn't."

Despite Amelia's words, Miles didn't relax. "True, but Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman, doesn't seem like the type of guy to give up easily."

"So on a different subject, I'm now in the same class as Chuck," Sonny said abruptly.

"Oh, which class is that?" Amelia asked with intrigue.

"Room 1994," Sonny replied.

"I'm in that class too. Just our luck, I guess," Miles responded.

Amelia giggled. Then she asked, "Does he still have the Red Emerald?"

"Yeah," Sonny replied.

"Do you think that was a good idea?"

"I think I trust him enough. Besides, Sonic has a hunch that he might be possessed by one of his friends."

"But how can we know that? You haven't talked to him since we defeated Dr. Robotnik and we have no idea what kind of a spirit we might be dealing with."

"Then maybe I will talk to him, now that we're in the same class."

###

Inside the school's fitness room, Chuck was busy practicing for his next boxing match. The South Island School Boxing Challenge was coming up, and he needed to be in top shape. He was suddenly interrupted by footsteps, and looked over towards the door. To his surprise, no one was there, then he looked past the punching-bag he stood in front of. In the shadows stood the outline of a round figure whose face was barely visible.

"How did you get in here and who are you?" Chuck asked cautiously.

"I got in through the door," the figure replied in a male voice. "And who I am is not your concern. It's your friends you should be more worried about."

"Friends? I don't have any."

"I was referring to Sonny Hedge. He's not trustworthy."

"What do you mean?"

"He lied to you about why he needed that red gemstone you possess. You see, it is no ordinary gemstone with unusual properties and powerful energy stored within it. Sonny borrowed the gemstone not for a science project but to give it to Dr. Robotnik so he could use it to conquer South Island."

"But why did he return the gemstone to me after Dr. Robotnik was arrested by G. U. N.?"

"To insure your trust, of course. You would've automatically suspected something if he didn't give the gemstone back like he promised."

Chuck paused and then he asked, "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Ask Sonny yourself, Knuckles. If he lies to you, come talk to me."

Then the figure pushed something, followed by a flash of light, and he was gone before Chuck could question him further. He walked over to where the figure stood and found a piece of paper that had an address written on it. Chuck put the paper in the pocket of his boxing trousers and continued practicing his punches.

 _Why did he call me Knuckles?_ Chuck wondered. _That_ _'_ _s my nick-name. How would he_ _—_

"Hey, Chuck!"

Chuck turned towards the door and saw Sonny standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hi, Sonny," Chuck responded.

"You don't sound too happy to see me," Sonny said as he walked in. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing. But, I would like to know…what you needed my good-luck charm for?"

Sonny hesitated. "I already told you. It was for a science project on minerals."

"Not for anything else? Like aiding Dr. Robotnik?"

"No! I would never do something like that," Sonny responded. "What gave you that idea?"

"Just answer the question."

"Okay, I didn't need the gemstone for a science project but I didn't give it to Dr. Robotnik."

"Then what did you need it for?"

"It's kind of hard to explain, but—

The bell rang to signal the next period, forcing Sonny to leave. Chuck growled in irritation, then he left too. He went to the boys' locker-room and changed out of his boxing clothes into a red sleeveless shirt, gray jeans that were ripped on the knees, and sneakers that were red, green, and yellow. Afterwards, he went to his next class but his mind was occupied by the mysterious stranger's words and what Sonny said in response to his questions.

###

"Chaotix Detective Agency," Chuck said, reading the address on the piece of paper out loud.

He was standing before a small two-story house with a crooked roof and mismatched windows on the top floor. On either side of it stood rows of shops and warehouses that were facing a wharf on the other side of the street that ran along the west coast of South Island. The sun had set over the horizon, causing the sea to shine brightly despite the fading light. From a dark alleyway next to the house came a faint whisper, causing Chuck to walk over to it. There, he saw the same figure from the fitness room, who still clung to the shadows like before.

"So I take it Sonny lied to you," the figure said confidently.

Chuck shook his head. "Not exactly. He was about to explain why he needed my gemstone, but the bell rang before he answered."

"Then why did you still come to see me?"

"Because…I think you know more about what's going on than I do."

The figure chuckled. "Precisely. However, I will need you to do a small favor for me in exchange for my information."

"Such as what?"

"That gemstone you have is not the only one of its kind. There are six others in different colors that are hidden in various places throughout the island. I want you to find them all and bring them to me."

"What do you need the gemstones for?"

"Like I said before, they contain a great deal of energy inside them. If those gems were to fall into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous."

"Is that why Dr. Robotnik needed them?"

"Yes, and I want to prevent that mad man from obtaining them again if he ever breaks out of that G. U. N. prison."

"You sound certain that he will."

"If he's as smart as he is ruthless, then there's no doubt he'll find a way. Now knowing that you have school and your boxing club, I understand that you don't have a lot of time on your hands. So I brought you here to get acquainted with the people at this agency whom I've hired to help you search for the gems."

"Wow, really?" Chuck was speechless. Then he said slowly, "Um, that's very generous of you, even though I don't know your name."

"You may call me…" the figure paused, and then he snapped his finger. "…Nik. Now I have matters to attend to, so I'll need you to meet with the Chaotix Detectives in my place. If you mention my name to them, they'll know what to do."

Then just like in the fitness room, the figure vanished in a flash of light.

For a few minutes, Chuck stood before the house considering his options. Meanwhile, the sun sank lower and the shops were closing up. Then from out of the house emerged a small boy wearing an orange vest over a blank-and-yellow stripped T-shirt with matching black shorts and orange sneakers. He had honey-colored eyes and tuffs of blond hair emerging from a black and pink aviator hat.

The boy smiled when he spotted Chuck. He sprinted over to him and said, "Hey, mister, are looking for the Chaotix Detectives?"

"Um, sort of," Chuck replied.

"Hurray!" The boy cried. "Our first customer!"

Then before Chuck had anything to say, the boy took hold of Chuck's arm and dragged him up the steps into the house.

To be continued…


	9. Chapter 9: Partnership

Chapter 9: Partnership

Inside the Chaotix Detective Agency house, Chuck was brought to large foyer with an overhead ceiling fan, a couple of filing cabinets, and a large desk with a bulletin board behind it. The desk itself was occupied by a man in his late twenties who had yellow-tinted skin and wore a green, white, and yellow sweat-suit with black boots. His eyes were closed as he was listening to something coming from his black and gray headphones attached to his closely-shaved head of green hair.

"Hey, Victor!" the boy with the aviator cap shouted. "We have a customer!"

The man didn't respond, and continued waving his head back and forth to the music.

Irritated, the boy let go of Chuck and walked up to the desk. "HEY, VICTOR!"

"Ah!" The man called Victor was so startled by the boy's cry that he leaned back and fell out of his desk.

"Charles, did you really have to do that?"

Chuck and the boy looked towards the water cooler in the corner and saw a boy about Chuck's age emerge from behind it. His eyes were bright-yellow, with medium purple hair that was gelled up into three spikes and he wore a matching purple T-shirt over a black shirt with purple knee-length shorts. While his arms were covered by metallic forearm guards, his calves were wrapped in bandages, with purple boots decorated in yellow spikes.

"Espen," the boy with the aviator cap said. "I didn't see you there."

"Of course you didn't," the purple-haired boy responded. "I don't call myself a ninja for nothing."

Meanwhile, Victor managed to get to his feet. He rubbed the back of his head while picking up the chair that had fallen. Once that was done, Victor sat back in the chair and sighed.

"Charles," Victor said, glaring at the boy with the aviator hat with gold-colored eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you to _not_ disturb me while I'm listening to music?"

"I'm sorry, Victor," the boy Charles responded. "I was so excited because I found our first customer."

"Customer?" Victor saw Chuck standing next to Charles and grinned. "Well, hello there. If I came off as being rude, I apologize. My name is Victor Croc, the boy who brought you in is Charles Bee, and the kid standing near the water cooler is Espen Camellia. Together, the three of us make up the Chaotix Detective Agency, and we'll find anything and anyone for the right price."

Chuck hesitated for a moment, and then he said, "I'm Chuck Kidman and I was told to come here by a man called Nik. He said you guys could help me."

At that moment, the three guys looked at each other.

Then Victor walked around the desk. "Why didn't you say so sooner, kid? Just tell us what to find, and we'll do it."

With Victor standing in front of him at six feet in height, Chuck timidly reached into his jean pocket and pulled out the red gemstone. "I need you to look for gemstones that look like this. They're not the same color, and there are six of them supposedly scattered throughout the island. Do you think you're up for it?"

Victor took the red gemstone from Chuck's hand and examined it. Then he looked over his shoulder. "Espen, come over here."

Reluctantly, Espen walked over.

"What can you tell me about this thing?" Victor said as he gave the gem to Espen.

Espen looked over the gem several times and then he said, "I don't think I've seen anything like it. It's the same color as a ruby, but shaped like an emerald, and I feel some kind of energy radiating from it."

"Yeah, I felt it, too," Victor responded.

Then suddenly, the gemstone left Espen's hand and floated in mid-air radiating with light. All four boys were speechless, and watched it with wonder. After a few minutes, Victor briefly nodded.

"All right," he said finally. "We'll find these gemstones for you. After all, there aren't any gems I know of that float so they shouldn't be too hard to locate."

Charles then reached into his short-pocket and pulled out a small camera. The three got out of the way as Charles took a picture of the red gemstone before it suddenly faded and fell. Fortunately, Chuck caught the gem before it hit the ground.

"Now in terms of payment, we'll say that each gem costs 500$, so that'll be 3000$ for finding the six gemstones," Victor said dialing numbers on a small calculator he pulled from his sweat-shirt hoodie. Then he held out his hand to Chuck. "If you see Nik again, tell him that. Otherwise, do we have a deal?"

"Sure thing," Chuck said, shaking Victor's hand.

"Hurray! Our first job!" Charles cheered.

"Let's hope Victor doesn't screw this one up," Espen said. "We're already several months behind on rent as it is."

Charles glared. "Espen, don't ruin the moment!"

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10: Prevention

**It hasn't been long since I started this fanfic, but I can't believe I'm already on my 10th Chapter! Thanks for your support, guys!**

Chapter 10: Prevention

"Um, Sonny," Miles said approaching Sonny as he was doing warm-up stretches.

They were standing next to the rock structure that looked like a loop-the-loop where Miles was kidnapped by Dr. Eggman's robots last year.

"What is it, Miles?" Sonny finished stretching and got into a starting position for running.

"We might have a problem. You see, I went to find one of the Chaos Emeralds just to be sure that it was still there. But then I fell into this deep man-made hole that was covered by palm tree leafs, and so I had to transform into Tails to get out. By the time I got to the Emerald's hiding place, it was gone."

Sonny's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?"

"Who's kidding?" Amelia said catching up to Miles from behind.

"It's not a joke, Amelia. Someone has stolen one of the Chaos Emeralds."

Amelia gasped. "Oh my god! Do you think it could be Dr. Eggman?"

Miles shook his head. "No. He would not have bothered to set up a trap before grabbing the Chaos Emerald and that hole I fell in was man-made, so it couldn't have been his robots either."

"Then who did?" Amelia shuttered suddenly. "I thought we were the only other people who know about the Chaos Emeralds."

"I guess not anymore," Sonny said. "And if this person found one Chaos Emerald, then it won't be long before he finds the others."

Sonny then took off in a blue blur, leaving Amelia and Miles behind.

"Where did he go?" Amelia asked.

"I'm guessing to get the other Chaos Emeralds before this thief gets to them first," Miles replied.

"Then shouldn't we go after him?"

"But I can't transform into Tails as easily as Sonny can into Sonic, and that's the only way I can catch up to him."

"Yeah, and it's not like I can transform into Amy right now either." Amelia sighed. "Why is Sonny more in touch with his spirit than us with ours?"

Miles scratched the back of his head for a few seconds before answering. "Well, Sonny told us that when the Chaos Emeralds came together he suddenly found himself in a white space where he met Sonic and they talked a while before coming to an agreement. Maybe the energy coming from the Chaos Emeralds was so overwhelming that Sonny retreated into his own mind, hence the white void, and that's where Sonic was lodged in. Then when they agreed to help each other that separated the mental barrier that kept Sonny from transforming into Sonic willingly. So if you and I could somehow communicate with our spirits, then maybe we could control them better."

"I guess that makes sense, but how does that help us in our present situation?"

"Right now, all we can do is stay here and wait for Sonny to come back. In the meantime, we'll continue practicing our abilities and hopefully I'll come up with a solution to our problem during the Tailspin Moment."

###

Elsewhere, Sonic was speeding through jungles of palm trees when something suddenly caught his foot and he was lifted into the air. He hung upside-down with one foot tied to a rope that was hidden underneath a patch of dirt and attached to a tree. Irritated, Sonic tried to break free but the rope held his foot firmly. So then he swung himself back and forth and attempted to spin into a ball, but the momentum wasn't strong enough.

"Wow, Sonic, you've changed quite a lot."

Sonic looked down and saw a teenage boy staring up at him from the ground with long red hair, slanted pupils that were purple, abnormally large white boxing gloves, and a red zigzag tail.

"Knuckles!" Sonic cried. "You're alive. Quick, help me get down from here."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," the boy with the zigzag tail replied. "Otherwise, you'll get in my way."

"How?"

"You'll try to pry this from me," Knuckles said as he pulled the Cyan Chaos Emerald out of his pants-pocket. "And I won't let that happen."

Sonic gritted his teeth. "So you were the one who stole the Chaos Emerald and dug the hole Miles fell into."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure who this 'Miles' guy is, but I did set up a hole-shaped trap before grabbing the Purple Chaos Emerald earlier today."

"Why are you doing this, Knuckles?" Sonic said as he tried to reach the rope with his hands. "I hid the Chaos Emeralds so Dr. Eggman couldn't find them. Now he'll go after you when he gets out of prison."

"Then let him," Knuckles responded. "I'm only interested in finding the Chaos Emeralds so that I can locate the Master Emerald, which I sense is somewhere in this new world, and I must protect it at all costs."

After putting the Cyan Chaos Emerald back in his pocket, Knuckles jumped into the air and glided away.

###

Several hours later, Sonny was greeted by Miles and Amelia who came running towards him.

"Sonny, what are you doing up there?" Amelia asked.

"What does it look like?" Sonny responded irritably.

"He must've caught his foot in a trap," Miles said. "Don't worry, Sonny. I'll get you down."

Miles walked over to the base of the tree and untied the rope that was attached to a root at the tree's base. Once that was done, Sonny came crashing down on his back. Amelia rushed over as a pink aura briefly surrounded her. Then once she knelt down, Amy stood in her place.

"Are you hurt, Sonic?" Amy asked.

"I'm not Sonic," Sonny said wearily.

"Oops, I meant to say, 'Sonny,'" Amy said correcting herself. "It's just that you two look so similar now."

"Now?" Miles walked over to Sonny and helped him up. "You mean Sonic didn't always look like Sonny?"

Amy shook her head. "No, he looked different before, but I can't remember—

Then Amy suddenly passed out. The same pink aura surrounded her, and after a few minutes Amelia woke up. She sat up clutching her head in agony as the pink and yellow hammer Amelia held suddenly vanished.

"I almost had it," Amelia muttered. "Summoning the 'Piko Hammer' was the right idea, but it wasn't enough to connect me to Amy."

"Do you remember anything, though?" Miles asked.

"Sort of," Amelia responded. "I remember Amy saying something about Sonic, but the exact words are fuzzy."

"So my theory is right. The more we master our abilities, the closer we come to getting in touch with our individual spirits." Miles then turned to Sonny. "So what happened to you?"

"Well, apart from getting my foot caught in a trap while I was Sonic," Sonny said rubbing the back of his head. "I don't remember much else, which is weird because I've been able to retain my memories as Sonic recently."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Miles responded. "Maybe you and Sonic were not in sync this time. Now we should probably get home before the sun goes down."

"Right," Sonny said, and helped Amelia up.

Then as the three walked through the thick jungle back to town, a trio of figures watched them leave.

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11: Headache

Chapter 11: Headache

Two days after the Cyan Chaos Emerald was stolen, Sonny and his friends decided to get together at Amelia's house, because it was closer to the school, which had been fully repaired after it was invaded by Dr. Eggman's robots. It was quiet inside since Amelia's mom was conveniently out shopping, so the three made themselves comfortable in the living room. Then Amelia went into the kitchen and brought back some homemade chocolate-chip cookies with glasses of milk, which Sonny and Miles generously took.

"Hey, these are actually pretty good," Miles said after trying one cookie. "Did you make these yourself?"

"I sure did," Amelia replied. "What do you think, Sonny?"

Sonny took a small bite, and then shrugged. "It's okay."

Amelia glared at Sonny for a few moments, and then sat down on the couch opposite of Sonny and Miles who were sitting on the footstools. "So, what are we going to do about this mysterious thief who's after our Chaos Emeralds?"

"Well, the Chaos Emeralds technically aren't ours," Miles responded. "We're just trying to keep them out of Dr. Eggman's hands."

In response, Amelia sighed with irritation. "I know, Miles, but we can't just sit back and let this guy take these gemstones that could be dangerous if used by the wrong people."

"For once, I agree with Amelia," Sonny said. "That's why I should be the one to retrieve them. I'm the fastest guy in here, and I know exactly where they are."

"But look how well that turned out," Miles said as he took another bite out of the cookie. "The thief found the two Chaos Emeralds first and was able to set up traps before we even got there."

Sonny took a sip of the milk and said, "Then we'll have to get to the remaining Chaos Emeralds before he does."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Amelia asked. "We don't know who this guy is, or how he's able to find the Chaos Emeralds."

"Amelia's right," replied Miles. "Unless we know what we're dealing with, there's no way we can plan an effective countermeasure against this thief."

A sudden headache came over Sonny, causing him to rub his temples repeatedly.

"What's wrong, Sonny?" Miles asked.

"I don't know," Sonny replied. "This headache has been occurring on and off since we lost the Cyan Chaos Emerald."

"I think we have aspirin around here somewhere," Amelia said, and got up.

###

After Sonny and Miles left Amelia's house, the sun had gotten lower on the horizon.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" Sonny asked abruptly.

Miles hesitated. "Um, I was going to do homework and continue working on a solution for communicating with our spirits more effectively. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to the South Island School Boxing Challenge, which will be starting in the school gym soon."

"When did you suddenly get interested in boxing?" After a few moments, Miles' eyes widened. "Are you going to talk to Chuck?"

"Yep," Sonny answered. "I've been avoiding him for a while after he asked me about the Red Chaos Emerald, but I think he deserves to know the truth. Besides, if he's possessed by one of Sonic's friends, then maybe he can help us."

"I suppose," Miles said.

Then Sonny crossed the street and walked back towards the school with Miles following alongside him.

By the time they got to the school, the sun had set and there was a fairly long line leading up to the school gym. While most of the people were students, there were quite a few adults as well. Sonny and Miles then got in line, and waited several minutes before reaching the gym entrance. The man who was handing out tickets was none other than Mr. Chaplain, who looked surprised to see Sonny and Miles.

"Hi, Mr. Chaplain," Sonny said awkwardly,

"Well, Sonny," Mr. Chaplain said. "I never took you to be the type to see boxing matches."

"Actually, I'm here to support a friend who's competing in the challenge."

"Oh, I see."

Miles paid for the tickets with his allowance money, and together he and Sonny went inside. The bleachers were crowded, full of people who were yelling and cheering. A single overhead light shined on a boxing ring that had been placed in the middle of the gym, while a man in a white dress-shirt and black pants was announcing two boxers who walked into the ring. One was a big tall guy with medium light-blond hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing a red cap and green scarf over a white T-Shirt. His boxer-shorts and gloves were cream-colored with giant red boots covering his feet. Meanwhile, the other boxer was a short guy wearing a red hoodie and matching gloves, black shorts, and red sneakers with white strap-on laces.

" _For the first round of the South Island School Boxing Challenge,_ " the announcer said loud and clear into a handheld microphone. " _We have Barker 'Polar Bear' Bernstein from Aurora High School facing off against Michael 'Mighty' Armadillo from East Middle School. One is a human tank who uses brute strength to the fullest, while the other is a feisty little guy who can throw a mean punch or two! Will the tiny beat the mighty, or will the mighty triumph? Let's find out!_ "

A bell rang and the announcer got out of the ring. Barker moved first and charged forward, but Michael stayed and positioned his fist. Then just before Barker hit him, Michael jumped into the air and made an uppercut punch that was so powerful that it knocked Barker to the ground. While the boxing referee counted, Michael braced himself.

When it seemed like Barker wasn't getting up, the announcer stepped back into the ring and exclaimed, " _I don't believe it! One punch from Mighty and Polar Bear was knocked out cold! Therefore, the winner of this round is…Mighty Armadillo!_ "

As the announcer raised Michael's hand, the crowd cheered wildly.

From there on, the matches were more exciting than the next. In one match, a competitor with green hair and a red neckerchief was nearly pummeled when he suddenly pulled out a flash bomb and threw it at his opponent. The opponent was subsequently disoriented, and the green-haired teen was disqualified from the tournament. Then the last match had Chuck facing off against a tall skinny guy with short ash-blond hair, wearing a purple sleeveless shirt, matching purple gloves, and tan boxer-shorts and boots.

The announcer cleared his throat and then shouted, " _In the West corner we have Shanazar High's Nack 'Fang' Wesley, who's quick on his toes with a deadly accuracy to his punches! Then in the East corner we have South Island Middle School's very own Chuck 'Knuckles' Kidman, a powerhouse fighter and last year's winner! Will Chuck take the title of Champion once again or will Nack steal the crown? Let's find out!_ "

Once the bell rang, Nack went for a series of rapid punches in Chuck's direction. But to everyone's surprise, Chuck blocked every single one of them. Then before Nack could dodge, Chuck punched him in the face so hard that he staggered back into the ropes that surrounded the ring. As the crowd cheered wildly, Nack got his bearings and charged at Chuck with the same volley of rapid punches. Chuck in turn responded by dodging them, and went for an uppercut punch that caused Nack to fall onto the matt. While the referee counted, Nack slowly rose and then he went for a lower-kick towards Chuck's feet. Fortunately, Chuck noticed and jumped back to avoid the kick, which the referee noticed and called a foul on Nack's part.

In the next round, Nack attempted to make a comeback by pacing around Chuck so fast that he barely had time to dodge Nack's punches. He got to his knees, but Chuck refused to give up and as he readied himself, a faint red aura emanated from him. Miles noticed it immediately, while Sonny felt another headache coming on. Then just before Nack landed another punch, Chuck punched back with enough force to cause Nack to fall to the ground and lose the round. The last round was the same as the previous one, only the aura around Chuck was more visible and Sonny's headache grew worse.

"Sonny, I think we should leave," Miles said, helping Sonny out of his seat.

"No," Sonny said weakly. "I want to speak to Chuck."

"We'll talk to Chuck some other time, but right now you need help."

As Miles dragged Sonny out of the gym, Chuck made a final blow that sent Nack flying into the ropes and then he fell face-down on the matt. The referee counted to ten, and when Nack didn't get up, he declared Chuck to be the winner. Meanwhile from the rafters, Espen watched Sonny and Miles leave and then he pressed a button on a walkie-talkie he held in his hand.

"Victor, Sonny Hedge and Miles Prower are leaving the school gym."

" _Is Amelia Rosen with them?_ " Victor responded.

"Negative. Should I pursue?"

" _Affirmative, but make sure they don't see you._ "

"I can do that." Then Espen put away the walkie-talkie and jumped down from the rafters as the crowd cheered for Chuck. Because of the crowd noise, no one heard Espen land on his feet and Mr. Chaplain didn't see him leave either as Espen had literally turned himself invisible.

To be continued…


	12. Chapter 12: Revelation

Chapter 12: Revelation

In the following days, Sonny tried to talk to Chuck but found that he was either too busy or absent altogether. This in turn made Sonny worry, and so he concentrated on finding the remaining Chaos Emeralds before the mysterious thief did. But each time he came near the Chaos Emerald's hiding spot, there was always a trap waiting for him. For this reason, he lost the Silver and Blue Chaos Emeralds to whoever the thief was. It also didn't help that after each incident the headache would to spike up, leading him to suspect that Sonic was involved. So one day after school, Sonny asked Miles about his search for a solution to communicate with their spirits more easily, and Miles smirked.

"I think I have the answer," Miles responded eagerly. "But I'm not sure if it'll work unless I test it."

"Then I'll be your test-subject," Sonny said. "If it might get me in touch with Sonic, I could probably figure out why I'm constantly plagued by these headaches."

"What makes you think Sonic's responsible?" Amelia asked as she walked alongside the two boys.

"Because I'm not remembering any of the recent times I was Sonic, which were all during my searches for the other Chaos Emeralds," Sonny said as he rubbed the back of his head. "So I'm guessing that Sonic saw something during those incidents that he doesn't want me to remember."

Amelia pouted. "You know we wouldn't be in this situation if you had me and Miles come with you."

"But I don't want you guys getting hurt," Sonny responded. "And that's why I have to find the Emeralds alone."

"And that hasn't worked out too well, has it? Because of your stubbornness, we've lost four Chaos Emeralds to this thief!"

"Well it's not my fault that—

Sonny's knees suddenly buckled and then he passed out. He found himself back in the white void, where Sonic was waiting for him. His back was turned towards Sonny and he had his arms crossed.

"How did I end up here?" Sonny asked.

"Because I wanted you to," Sonic said, facing Sonny. "The cause of your headaches was the result of my actions."

"What did you do?"

"I've been withholding memories from you lately, particularly the ones where I tried to grab the Chaos Emeralds before the thief did. The reason I did this is because during those times…I saw the thief, and tried to talk with him."

Sonny felt limp.

"You'll see why in a moment."

The white void suddenly turned black, and Sonny was subjected to a series of images. In each one, he was caught in one of the traps that were set up near the Chaos Emeralds' hiding places. Then Chuck would suddenly appear, only his hair was longer, his gloved fists larger, and a zigzag tail was visible. With a Chaos Emerald in hand, Chuck would exchange a few words with him before leaving. After that, the white void appeared again and Sonny was a little shaken up.

Sonic turned away. "I figured you would be upset if you learned that your friend Chuck was the one stealing the Chaos Emeralds, and that's why I withheld those memories. I'm sorry for the unintentional pain I caused you."

"That's still no excuse to betray my trust!" Sonny shouted. "I know you meant well, but I still had the right to know! Was Chuck possessed by one of your friends or enemies?"

"A little bit of both," Sonic replied. "The spirit's name is Knuckles, and he's a rival of mine. We go back quite a ways and while he can be pretty stubborn, Knuckles is always there to help. But the reason he's been stealing the Chaos Emeralds is because he thinks that they will reveal the location of the Master Emerald."

"The Master Emerald?"

"It's a large gemstone that has the ability to control all the Chaos Emeralds and contains almost limitless energy. Knuckles had been tasked to protect the Master Emerald for as long as he lived, and considers it his top priority above everything else. Now how he's been able to locate the Chaos Emeralds so quickly puzzles me, so I think someone's helping him."

"Like Dr. Eggman?"

Sonic chuckled. "Wouldn't surprise me. Knuckles isn't very bright, and he was tricked by Dr. Eggman before."

"So what do I do about Chuck?"

"I would still tell him the truth. If he knows what's going on, maybe he can talk to Knuckles and convince him to help us instead of fight us."

"All right. Thanks, Sonic."

Sonic's ears perked up. "So you forgive me?"

"For now, but don't ever withhold memories from me again. Those headaches could've killed me if they had gone on longer."

"Will do!" Sonic gave Sonny a thumbs-up before Sonny woke up.

He found himself on a bed in a small room with circular and square-shaped windows. Amelia was standing on one side with Miles on the other and they were both watching him closely. When they saw he was awake, they relaxed a little.

"What happened, Sonny?" Miles asked. "You suddenly collapsed and we tried to wake you but nothing seemed to work."

"I was…" Sonny looked around the room once more to make sure no one was around, then he said. "…Having a conversation with Sonic."

"Did you find out what was causing the headaches?"

Sonny hesitated. "I'm not sure how to put this, but—

"Well, kid! Glad to see you're finally awake!"

Sonny looked past Amelia and saw a tall man in a sweatsuit with close-shaven green hair climbing up some stairs that were located below the room. He had to duck to not hit the roof of the room with his head while a small kid wearing an aviator cap followed up behind him. They approached the bed just as Sonny sat up in it.

"It's okay, Sonny," Amelia said. "These were the guys that were nice enough to bring you here and let you rest."

"I saw you pass out on the sidewalk across the street, and so I immediately ran over to see what was wrong," the tall guy said. "Good thing I came when I did."

"Victor, you always have a soft spot for people in trouble," the small kid said mockingly. Then he turned to Sonny, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Sonny replied. "So where is here?"

"You're in the second-floor bedroom of the Chaotix Detective Agency house," the tall guy responded. "I'm Victor, and the kid is Charles."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sonny."

"We also have a guy named Espen, but he's not here at the moment," Charles said.

"How long was I out?" Sonny asked.

"I'd say about three hours," said Victor. "Do you need to call your parents to let them know where they are?"

"I live alone," replied Sonny.

Victor's eyes widened. "Are you an orphan?"

"No, my parents are traveling overseas, so they sent me to South Island to go to school."

"Oh, I see. You're awfully young to be living on your own. Espen and Charles were doing the same thing before I found them, and they were orphans. So out of the goodness of my heart, I allowed them to stay with me in this house and we do detective work to pay the rent."

"But we're currently in debt," Charles added. "Hopefully, this job we're doing will cover the expenses."

"What is it?" Miles asked.

The doorbell suddenly rang.

"That must be Espen and Chuck," Charles said, and ran down the stairs.

"Chuck!" Sonny immediately got out of bed and followed Charles.

"Hey, wait up!" Victor shouted, following Sonny.

Miles and Amelia looked at each other and then they trailed Victor. The stairs led to an open door, and beyond it was a large foyer with a rectangular desk, some filing cabinets, and a water-cooler. It was there that Sonny saw Chuck walk through the front door with the Green and Yellow Chaos Emeralds in his hands next to a boy about his age with purple hair and yellow eyes. When Chuck saw Sonny, he stopped and stood still. Sonny did the same, while Victor, Amelia, and Miles emerged from behind him.

Charles on the other hand walked over to Espen and asked, "How was your mission?"

"Piece of cake," Espen replied. "Though it appears that our guest has awoken."

"Yeah, his name is Sonny and—

"Quiet, Charles," Victor said firmly. Then he looked at Chuck and said, "What's wrong, Chuck? You don't look too good."

To be continued…


	13. Chapter 13: Confrontation

Chapter 13: Confrontation

"Were these the guests you were talking about over the phone, Victor?" Chuck said after a long moment of silence.

"Yeah, but that doesn't answer my question," Victor responded.

"You know these guys?" Miles said looking at Victor, Charles, and Espen in disbelief.

"And what are you doing with those Chaos Emeralds?" Amelia gasped as soon as she realized what she said.

"Chaos Emeralds? Is that what these are called?" Chuck looked down at the two he held in his hands and gave Amelia a suspicious look. "What do you know about them?"

"Leave her alone, Chuck," Sonny said defensively. "I can explain."

"There's no need to," Chuck replied. "You knew about these strange gems the whole time, and you wanted them for Dr. Robotnik to use. That's why you wanted to borrow the one I had, right?"

"No, that's far from the truth. I would never give them to a criminal like Dr. Robotnik."

"Then why did you need it?"

"To keep gems like yours out of Dr. Robotnik's hands. That was why he attacked South Island to begin with."

"But how do you know if you weren't working for Dr. Robotnik?"

"Can we talk about this somewhere a little more private?" Miles asked. "I'm not sure if the Chaotix Detectives want to hear it."

"Well, I do," Espen said. "After all, we helped Chuck find these 'Chaos Emeralds' as you apparently call them, so I think we deserve to know the truth."

"Espen's right," Victor responded. "And will keep your secrets safe. Right, Charles?"

"Uh, yeah, right," Charles said nervously.

"Swear to it!"

Charles responded by standing straight and putting a hand over his heart. Then he said rapidly, "I swear I will never tell a living soul about what is said in this room for as long as I live!"

"Good."

After taking a deep breath, Sonny said, "Do you remember when Miles' and Amelia's houses got attacked by Dr. Robotnik's robots?"

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, everyone at school was talking about them."

"The reason they were attacked is because the robots were looking for the Chaos Emeralds that Miles and Amelia had found by chance. So Miles and I figured that these gems were important, and decided to look for any others before Dr. Robotnik got to them. Then we I saw the red one you had, I figured it had to be a Chaos Emerald, and that's why I wanted to borrow it. I'm sorry I lied to you."

"I see." Chuck walked over to Victor's desk and placed the two Chaos Emeralds on them. Then he asked, "Then how do you know they're called Chaos Emeralds?"

"That's what the robots who attacked Miles and Amelia called them."

"So you were there?"

"Yes, and no."

Chuck raised an eyebrow.

Sonny hesitated, then he said slowly, "I was physically present, but not in control of myself. You see, I have this…other self who occasionally takes over. You might know him as The Blue Blur."

"The Blue Blur?"

"I thought that was just some government conspiracy myth," Victor said. "The G. U. N. soldiers considered it a possible menace and forced everyone in town to stay indoors on the same day Dr. Robotnik was captured."

"He's not a menace," Sonny responded. "In fact, he was the one who stopped Dr. Robotnik from using the Chaos Emeralds' power to take over South Island. Then after G. U. N. took Dr. Robotnik into custody, The Blue Blur hid the Chaos Emeralds throughout the island to prevent people like Dr. Robotnik from misusing them."

Chuck huffed dismissively. "Funny you should say that, because the guy who hired the Chaotix Detectives to help me claims that he wants to stop Dr. Robotnik and needs the Chaos Emeralds."

"But why are you helping him?" Sonny asked. "What do you know about this guy?"

"His name is Nik, and he was willing to trade information in exchange for the Chaos Emeralds. He even gave me the Chaotix Detectives' calling card so that I could meet them in person and figure out an arrangement for finding the Emeralds. Now that I have all of them, I'm going to go see Nik and get my reward."

"Then maybe we should come along," said Victor. "He has yet to pay us for our services."

"Something about this doesn't feel right," Miles abruptly said. "Why would he hire detectives to help Chuck find the Chaos Emeralds when he could've just looked for them himself?"

"Good point," Sonny said. "Do you even know what he looks like?"

"No, he tends to stick to the shadows when we talk," Chuck replied.

"That sounds shady," Amelia responded.

"Say what you will about Nik, but I'm still going whether you like it or not." Chuck then went behind Victor's desk, pulled out a drawer and placed the other five Chaos Emeralds on the desk including his own red one. "Do you have something to carry these things in, Victor?"

"We have an old-style briefcase," Victor said, running up the stairs.

"Victor, the briefcase is down here!" Charles cried, pointing to an old worn-out leather briefcase next to an antique coat-rack.

"Oh, right. I forgot." Victor came back down the stairs with a sheepish grin and picked up the briefcase by the coat-rack.

Chuck took it and removed the flap, revealing the insides of the briefcase to be empty. He then took the Chaos Emeralds one by one and put them into the briefcase. They were all shining unusually bright, which caught the attention of the Chaotix Detectives. Sonny closed his eyes for a minute, and then saw an apparition of Sonic standing in front of him.

"What should I do, Sonic?" Sonny whispered.

"This 'Nik' guy sounds fishy. I would try to keep Chuck from going, or follow if you can't convince him," Sonic answered.

"Okay." After the apparition vanished, Sonny turned to Chuck and asked, "So, Chuck, have you been experiencing anything unusual lately?"

Chuck closed the flap on the briefcase and asked, "Like what?"

"Oh, you know, like lapses in memory or the development of strange powers that can't be explained?"

"I have!" Charles abruptly said. "One time, I grew bee wings and antennae and called myself 'Charmy' the whole time."

"Charles, why did you have to bring that up?" Espen said covering his face with his hand in embarrassment.

"But it's true! Don't you sometimes turn invisible, Espen?"

"Charles, shut up!" Espen snapped.

In response, Charles started crying and wailing.

"Now look what you've done, Espen," Victor said irritably, and knelt down to comfort Charles.

"I don't have time for this," Chuck said, and walked out the front door before anyone could stop him.

"Hey, wait!" Sonny said, following Chuck with Miles and Amelia behind him.

To be continued…


	14. Chapter 14: Truth

**I was going to finish the current story-arc that's based on the events of Sonic 3/Sonic & Knuckes in this chapter, but considering how long it is I'm planning to resolve it in the next chapter.**

Chapter 14: Truth

Chuck reached the dock Nik said he was going to meet him at by the time the sun went down. He looked back and was relieved to see that Sonny and the others had stopped following him. As he waited for Nik to show up, Chuck pondered over the things Sonny told him.

 _I'm not sure which is more ridiculous_ , Chuck thought. _A shady man who claims he wants the gemstones to stop Dr. Robotnik or Sonny telling me that he has some kind of alter-ego who saved South Island from Dr. Robotnik's clutches. At this point, I don't know who to trust. Maybe I'll get some answers soon._

Eventually, he got tired of standing and leaned against one of the posts on the dock. Below him the waves lapped against the wharf in a soothing and rhythmic pattern that made Chuck sleepy. But before he had the chance to fall asleep, Chuck heard a strange humming sound that came from the ocean. He looked past the pier and noticed a circular vehicle that was making its way across the water without touching its surface. A dome made of tinted glass covered the top of this circular vehicle, making it difficult for Chuck to see who the driver was. Once the vehicle reached the dock, it continued to hover as a speaker was turned on. From it, a familiar voice boomed.

" _Well, hello, Chuck. I didn't expect you to get here first,_ " Nik said over the speaker. " _Do you have all the gemstones?_ "

"They're all right here," Chuck said, showing the briefcase.

" _Excellent._ "

Then suddenly, Chuck felt something heavy and metallic hit him on the back of the head.

###

When Chuck came to, he found himself lying at the foot of a circular ruin with stone steps leading up to a altar surrounded by seven pillars where the seven Chaos Emeralds floated. At the center of the altar was a large green gemstone that glowed unusually bright and it was there that a lone figure stood with his arms crossed. He looked like Chuck, but his hair was longer, his pupils were slanted, his fists were larger despite being covered by boxing gloves, and he sported a zigzag tail.

"What happened?" Chuck asked rubbing his head.

"You were knocked out, kid," said the Chuck-lookalike. "And so you ended up here."

"Where's here?" Chuck stood up and looked around. Apart from the altar, the area was covered in grass. Beyond that, all Chuck saw was gray mist.

"Your mind," the Chuck-lookalike replied as he descended the stairs.

"So what are you supposed to be? Myself?"

The Chuck-lookalike groaned. "I'm not you. I just happen to look like you for the time being."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Well, I don't know myself!" The Chuck-lookalike snapped. "One day, I woke up here in this form and I don't remember much. All I know is that my name is Knuckles the Echidna and it's my job to protect the Master Emerald at all costs."

"What's the Master Emerald?"

"It's that big gemstone up there," Knuckles said as he waved his gloved hand at the green gem at the top of the stairs. "It controls the seven Chaos Emeralds you collected, though I took over occasionally to set up traps."

"You took over my body? Is that why I've had occasional memory lapses?"

Reluctantly, Knuckles nodded. "Yes, but I didn't like doing it. I tried to talk to you, but nothing came back in response."

"So how am I able to talk to you now when I couldn't before?"

"I don't know. Maybe whatever knocked you out hit your head hard enough to knock down the mental barrier that kept my presence separate from yours."

"Possibly, but why did you set up traps?"

"To prevent others from getting to the Chaos Emeralds before we did."

"Who said anything about 'we'? I don't like the idea of a spirit-like being possessing my mind and causing me to forget things, so go back to wherever you came from!"

"I would've left your mind in a heartbeat, but I can't."

Chuck felt his hands go numb. "What do you mean?"

"I've tried to leave, but nothing's worked."

"All right, then," Chuck said as he clenched his fists. "If you can't leave, then I'll make you."

Knuckles looked down at Chuck's fists then he positioned his own in a fighting gesture. "Bring it on."

So the two fought for several minutes, punching and kicking each other at their full capacity. While Knuckles was stronger in terms of strength and expertise, Chuck was able to hold his own and kept fighting despite the odds against him. Eventually, they tired themselves out and collapsed onto the ground.

"Hey, Chuck," Knuckles said panting.

"Yeah," Chuck replied weakly.

"You're not too bad."

"Only because you're a worthy opponent." Chuck caught his breath and said, "So does this mean I'm stuck with you?"

"For the time being," Knuckles replied as he got up.

"Well, if that's the case," Chuck tried to get up, but his legs were too weak. "Then we'll need to lay down some rules."

"Like what?" Knuckles asked as he walked over to Chuck.

"Like only possessing my mind if I need your help, and in exchange I'll find the Master Emerald for you."

"Deal," Knuckles said, and helped Chuck up.

There was a flash of light and Chuck was suddenly awake. He found himself tied to a palm-tree near a beach on an island that was partially lit by a pale moon that was coming up on the eastern horizon. In front of him, a small campfire illuminated a large man wearing a yellow and red tailed coat roasting a marshmallow. Chuck took a good look at the man, and suddenly recognized him.

"Dr. Robotnik," Chuck exclaimed. "Where's Nik?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious to you?" Dr. Robotnik said casually. "I was Nik the entire time."

"I thought you were in prison."

"I escaped, dear boy, and made this island my new base of operations."

"I don't believe you. If you had escaped, G. U. N. would've alerted every single nearby island including South Island."

"Oh, but they have."

Chuck blinked.

"I've merely been interfering with their broadcasts so that the warnings didn't reach the islands." Dr. Robotnik took the marshmallow out of the fire and started eating it. "As for why I was able to keep seeing you on South Island without getting caught, it was made possible by a simple teleportation device I invented while I was imprisoned."

In the firelight, Dr. Robotnik showed a watch-shaped object on his wrist with various nobs and buttons attached to it.

"I see," Chuck said, trying to hide the anger in his voice. "You didn't want to draw too much attention to yourself after escaping prison, so you tricked me into obtaining the Chaos Emeralds for you and got the Chaotix Detectives involved as a means to make my job easier."

"Who told you the gemstones I asked you to obtain are called Chaos Emeralds?" Dr. Robotnik asked.

"A close friend of mine," Chuck fibbed.

"Then you must be referring to Sonny. After all, it was that alter-ego of his who hid the Chaos Emeralds from me."

"Alter-ego? You mean The Blue Blur?"

"Yes, but that's just what G. U. N. calls him. His real name is Sonic, and it was he who got me imprisoned in the first place!"

 _So Sonny was telling the truth_ , Chuck thought.

"But now that I have all the Chaos Emeralds, all I need is the Master Emerald and my plan for revenge and world domination will be complete!"

The sound of jets caused Chuck and Dr. Robotnik to look towards the sky. In the moonlight, a dark silhouette came flying downward and then it landed in front of the campfire. It was a metallic blue android that resembled Sonny but with spikes for hair, electric red eyes, and no mouth.

"Welcome back, Metal Sonic," Dr. Robotnik said gleefully. "Have you located the altar?"

The blue android nodded.

"Then lead the way. I'll bring our 'guest' along."

After that, the blue android known as Metal Sonic hovered in the air and waited as Dr. Robotnik carefully untied Chuck. Once he was free, Chuck punched Dr. Robotnik in the face and ran towards the dark forest. Metal Sonic immediately reacted and proceeded to fly after Chuck when Dr. Robotnik suddenly called him back. This allowed Chuck to hide in the thick foliage until he came to a waterfall on a raised level of ground.

"I know this place," Knuckles said appearing next to Chuck as an apparition. "This is Angel Island, my home."

"But how could it be?" Chuck said bewildered. "My parents told me this place hasn't been inhabited by anyone in four thousand years."

"Then maybe I'm…" Knuckles shook his head.

"You're what?"

"I was just thinking that maybe I'm…the ghost of one of your ancestors. That would explain why we look alike and why I'm inside your mind."

"But what about your tail and abnormally large fists?"

"Hmm, you got me there," Knuckles said examining his gloved hands. "I don't think your ancestors had such features based on the stories your parents told you, so it's possible that I wasn't human before taking on this form."

"How do you know about my parents' stories?"

"Our minds are one, kid. I have access to your memories and I'm sure you'll have access to mine."

"Will you stop calling me 'kid'? It's Chuck."

Taken aback, Knuckles folded his arms. "All right, Chuck, what if I told you that I know where the Master Emerald is?"

Chuck's eyes widened. "The Master Emerald is here?"

"Of course," Knuckles said as he floated to the right of the waterfall while Chuck followed behind. "Why else would Dr. Eggman make this place his base of operations? He's obviously looking for the Master Emerald."

"Eggman? I thought his name was Dr. Robotnik."

"That's the name of the 'spirit' that's possessing the man you call Dr. Robotnik. I sensed him the minute Dr. Robotnik appeared in the school fitness room."

"So there are more beings like you?"

"It seems so, though I'm not sure how they got here or how many there are. I know Sonic, the one who's possessing your friend Sonny, Amy and Tails who possess Sonny's friends Amelia and Miles, and Dr. Eggman, though it's possible that the Chaotix Detectives might have spirits in them as well based on the things that kid said."

"You mean Charles? But he was joking."

"Then why did Espen tell him to shut up?"

"Because he wasn't helping the situation?"

"No, there was some other reason behind Espen's action but I can't exactly prove it."

###

After several hours of traveling, Chuck finally came to the altar he saw in his mind. The eastern horizon was becoming brighter, and birds were starting to sing. Several feet from the altar stood a large stone tablet with writing carved into it. Chuck examined the tablet closely and tried to read the words but they were written in an unfamiliar language.

"'When the seven servers of Chaos unite, the Master Emerald will reveal itself to the one who is descended from our people'," Knuckles said, reading the tablet's words out loud.

"You can read this?" Chuck exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's the ancient language of my tribe," Knuckles responded.

"Then maybe there is some credibility to you being my ancestor," Chuck muttered to himself. He looked at the tablet again. "What does it mean?"

"Well, 'the seven servers of Chaos' must refer to the Chaos Emeralds and 'one who is descended from our people' obviously refers to someone who is a descendant of the people who originally lived here."

"That's why Dr. Robotnik tricked me into helping him," Chuck realized. "He had read this tablet and figured that if he could find someone who was descended from the people who lived on Angel Island to collect the Chaos Emeralds for him, the Master Emerald would appear before him and allow him to take it more easily. So he looked around and found me, an orphan whose parents were descended from the surviving members of the Angel Island tribe after a major disaster wiped most of them out four thousand years ago. He led me to believe that Sonny was lying so that I would do what he asked without question. I'm such an idiot."

"What's done is done," Knuckles said solemnly. "At least we got to the altar first, so there's a chance that we'll—

The roof the altar cracked as Metal Sonic landed on top of it. He was now emitting a bright yellow glow from his new metallic gold coloring with the seven Chaos Emeralds floating around him. Then behind Chuck appeared the circular hovercraft with Dr. Robotnik/Eggman laughing maniacally.

"It's been fun chasing you around the island, Chuck," Dr. Robotnik/Eggman said. "But our little game of tag ends now."

"Not so fast, Dr. Eggman!"

A blue ball suddenly appeared and hit the front half of the hovercraft, causing it to tip forward. Fortunately, Dr. Eggman managed to steady the vehicle in time before he fell out. Then the blue ball uncurled itself in midair and landed in front of Chuck, revealing it to be Sonic.

"Hey, Chuck," Sonic said cheerfully. "You finally got around to talking with Knuckles?"

Chuck nodded, though he was still in awe. "But how did you get here?"

"Sonny and his friends followed you to the dock, though they made sure you didn't see them. They saw Metal Sonic hit you on the back of the head while Dr. Eggman dragged you onto his Egg Mobile and fly away. After that, Miles used this method he came up with to communicate with spirits like myself more easily in order to become Tails so that he could fly me over the water. He tracked Dr. Eggman using a Chaos Emerald tracking device Miles made, though this one was battery-operated, and we eventually ended up here."

"Yeah, that's fine and all, Sonic, but Dr. Eggman's getting away!"

Sonic turned around and saw Dr. Eggman flying off in his Egg Mobile. "Oh, no you don't!"

Before Chuck could protest, Sonic dashed off to pursue the Egg Mobile. Meanwhile, Metal Sonic hovered down from the roof of the altar and flew towards Chuck. A red aura suddenly surrounded Chuck, and from it emerged Knuckles who punched Metal Sonic so hard that the Chaos Emeralds broke from their circular formation and scattered everywhere.

"If you want to go after Sonic," Knuckles said, standing over the fallen Metal Sonic. "Then you'll have to get past me."

To be continued…


	15. Chapter 15: Restoration

Chapter 15: Restoration

"If I can't have the Master Emerald revealed to me, then I'll find it myself!" Dr. Eggman declared, flying over the trees that outlined the mountains.

On the ground, Sonic blazed through the underbrush with his head turned towards the Egg Mobile which flew just in front of him.

"Hey, Sonic!" Tails shouted, flying alongside Sonic with the Chaos Emerald tracking device in hand. "Apart from the Emeralds that Dr. Eggman's carrying, there's a faint signal coming from the Northwest. Do you think it might be the Master Emerald?"

"I don't know, but it sounds worth checking out," Sonic replied.

After Sonic slowed down a bit to get some distance between him and Dr. Eggman, he veered towards the mountains while Tails followed behind.

###

Once they scaled the snow-covered slopes, Sonic and Tails soon found themselves before a large volcano that stood at the center of the island. There they found a dormant lava tube with some ancient ruins built nearby, and decided to go into it. Inside, Tails pulled out a small flashlight from his hoodie pocket, and led the way. Eventually, the two came to a hidden chamber where a large green gemstone was placed upon an emerald-colored pedestal.

"This is it," Tails remarked, noticing the readings on the tracking device grow stronger. "We've found the Master Emerald!"

"Indeed!"

Sonic and Tails turned around to see Dr. Eggman floating towards them in his Egg Mobile. The two dodged him, and soon Dr. Eggman was hovering over the Master Emerald. He pressed a button, and a large claw suddenly dropped down from the Egg Mobile's underside. It clamped down on the Master Emerald with ease and then the claw was raised. With this movement, the Master Emerald was pulled out of its pedestal.

"I'd love to congratulate you boys for making my task easier, but I've got a Death Egg to launch!" Dr. Eggman announced and flew away with the Master Emerald still attached to the claw.

Sonic and Tails followed Dr. Eggman outside, where they witnessed Knuckles gliding towards the Egg Mobile. Dr. Eggman reacted by flying higher, though Knuckles managed to land on the Master Emerald. As he struggled to break the claw, it suddenly emitted a strong current of electricity that pulsed through Knuckles' body and forced him to let go.

"As my grandfather always said, 'Always have a back-up plan in mind,'" Dr. Eggman said.

As Dr. Eggman flew away laughing, Sonic and Tails ran over to Knuckles who was lying on the ground groaning in pain. They helped him up and then from out of his boxer-short pockets the seven Chaos Emeralds spilled. Afterwards, the Emeralds glowed brightly and levitated as they surrounded Sonic, which was then followed by a bright flash before Super Sonic emerged.

"I was going to give the Chaos Emeralds back once I found the Master Emerald," Knuckles muttered, looking up at Super Sonic. "But all I did was lead Dr. Eggman right to it. I'm such a failure."

"There's no point in blaming yourself, Knuckles," Sonic said. "It's Dr. Eggman who's going to pay."

Then Sonic took off into the air as a distant rumble shook the ground. From the heart of the mountains emerged a large spherical space-station that was the size of a miniature moon. On it was a prominent face with laser cannons for eyes, a nose-shaped bridge, and a moustache covering up the docking bay. As it rose steadily into the sky, Sonic flew towards the space-station and into the docking bay. Inside, several robots spotted Sonic and fired their lasers at him. Fortunately, he dodged them and dismantled them, relieved to see there weren't any children inside the robots.

###

Once the Death Egg was in space, Sonic had defeated all the robots on every single level of the space-station. He approached the bridge cautiously, but found it already open. Inside was a large hallway covered in glass, which showed the surface of the planet from several miles. At the end of the hallway, Sonic saw the Master Emerald inside a glass chamber with wires attached to it. Then just as he was about to fly to the Master Emerald, Dr. Eggman appeared in a giant robot that emerged from under the floor.

" _You may have made it this far, Sonic,_ " Dr. Eggman's voice boomed. " _But your journey ends here!_ "

Using the robot's giant metal fingers, Dr. Eggman tried to crush Sonic, but he destroyed every single finger in a matter of seconds. Next, the robot's head detached and flew toward the chamber where the Master Emerald was kept. The wires suddenly detached, and the chamber was opened as a tongue-shaped magnet emerged out of the robot head. It grabbed the Master Emerald and pulled it into the head, which spun around and fired several powerful light beams at Sonic. He dodged every single one, and managed to crush the head by curling up into a ball and hitting it at top speed. Once the head dismantled, Dr. Eggman emerged in his Egg Mobile with the dome over his head and a claw holding onto the Master Emerald.

" _That does it!_ " Dr. Eggman shouted from inside the Egg Mobile. " _Now you've forced my hand!_ "

A button was clicked, followed by an alarm.

" _Warning! The Death Egg will self-destruct in two minutes!_ " a voice said over the speakers.

While Dr. Eggman flew through an escape hatch that led out to space, Sonic was stunned.

"Go after Dr. Eggman! I'll shut down the self-destruct sequence!"

Sonic turned around and saw Tails flying towards him from the open doorway.

"Tails!" Sonic exclaimed. "How did you get on here?"

"I followed you onboard while you weren't looking," Tails responded. "Now get going! We don't have much time!"

"I'm on it!" Sonic said as he flew out the escape hatch.

As he got closer to the Master Emerald, Sonic's fur suddenly changed from gold to white with rainbow-colored sparks emanating from him. His speed also increased, so Sonic was able to catch up to Dr. Eggman in no time. Then after a few hits, the Egg Mobile fell towards the planet though Sonic managed to catch the Master Emerald before it did. However, the Master Emerald turned out to be heavier than Sonic predicted and soon he was plummeting towards the planet as well, but was suddenly saved by an egg-shaped escape pod that appeared below him. He was lowered inside, and relieved to see Tails at the wheel.

"I take it you shut down the Death Egg's self-destruct sequence?" Sonic said as he set the Master Emerald down.

"Not exactly," Tails said. "Watch."

Tails pressed a button on a screen next to the steering-wheel. It showed the Death Egg flying away at top speed away from the planet, with its face turned toward the vastness of space. Then once it was nothing more than a dot, a fiery cloud appeared for a brief second until there was nothing more than debris.

"Nice job," Sonic remarked as the Super Sonic phase wore off.

"What happened out there? For a second, I thought you were faster than usual," Tails remarked as the outside of the pod started to burn once they entered the planet's atmosphere.

"You weren't imagining things," Sonic replied. "I'm guessing that the Master Emerald's energy must have given the Chaos Emeralds an extra boost that made me more powerful and faster. So I guess I went…Hyper Sonic?"

"Sounds about right."

###

Back on Angel Island, Sonny gave Chuck the Master Emerald which he was surprisingly able to lift despite its enormous weight. He then placed it on the pedestal at the center of the altar, where it suddenly emitted a faint glow. Next, Chuck placed all seven Chaos Emeralds on each of the seven pillars which glowed as well. The ground then started to shake, causing Sonny, Miles, and Chuck to leave the altar. They steadily made their way down the slopes, through the thick jungle, and found themselves at the beach. There, the waters were receding as the land suddenly rose upwards.

"I think the island is rising," Chuck said. "Just like my parents hoped."

"What do you mean?" Sonny asked.

"According to legend, Angel Island used to be a floating landmass occupied by people who were stronger than normal humans and capable of flight. But then the gods became angry and caused the island to plummet into the ocean. While most of the people died as a result, there were survivors who fled to the nearby islands. My parents were descended from such survivors, and they hoped that one day Angel Island would float again."

"Well, I guess today's the day."

"Guys," Miles abruptly said. "If we don't leave now, we'll never be able to get off the island!"

"Oh, right," Sonny said sheepishly.

After Miles closed his eyes and concentrated deeply, a yellow aura surrounded him. A few seconds later, the aura dissipated and Tails emerged. He flew up into the air, grabbing Sonny's hand. Then he was about to grab Chuck's hand, but Chuck swatted it away.

"What's wrong, Chuck?" Tails asked.

"I can't go," Chuck replied. "Someone's got to protect the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds from Dr. Eggman, or anyone else who might use them for evil."

Sonny was stunned. "But Chuck—

"I'm not changing my mind. This is too important to ignore. Now leave before the island rises any further!"

Before Sonny could protest, Tails lifted him off the ground and they flew away from the island just as the beaches became air-born. Waves lapped at Sonny's feet as Tails grew exhausted, causing him to fly lower. But just before they hit the water, Sonny spotted the South Island pier where a crowd of people were gathering.

"Tails, fly lower!" Sonny commanded. "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves.

"Right," Tails replied.

They flew underneath the pier and landed on a jetty. Before the next wave overtook them, Tails changed back into Miles and then he and Sonny climbed up onto the pier. The crowd was too distracted to notice them as Angel Island was rising in the distance. Sonny and Miles watched until someone tugged at them from behind. They both turned and saw Amelia with an angry frown while behind her the Chaotix Detectives stood.

"Amelia," Sonny said. "What's your problem?"

"You have no idea how worried I was when you two flew away," Amelia responded. "In fact, I actually consulted Amy in my dreams, and she was the only one who made me feel better."

"But Amelia, I thought we agreed that it would be too dangerous," Miles said. "If you really wanted to come along, you could've said so."

"I did, but I didn't know if I would be of any use." Amelia lowered her head, and when she raised it there were tears in her eyes. "But it's good to see you two alive and well."

As Amelia hugged Sonny and Miles, Espen came up to them and said, "So what happened to Chuck? Why isn't he with you?"

Sonny scratched the back of his head. "He, um, got captured by Dr. Robotnik who took the Chaos Emeralds as well. We tried to stop him, but he got away and now the Chaos Emeralds and Chuck are missing."

"I see," Espen responded.

"What about Nik?" Victor asked. "Did you find him? Is he still going to pay us?"

"I don't know," Sonny answered. "I never saw him."

###

Later that day, Sonny and Miles told Amelia what really happened. She listened very intensely and didn't interrupt them even once. Then after the two boys were done with their story, Amelia sighed.

"Poor Chuck," Amelia said quietly. "I wonder what his parents will do when they find out he's gone."

"He doesn't have any parents," Miles replied, causing Amelia to look at him in surprise. "Before I came here, I went to see Mr. Chaplain to see if he knew were Chuck lived. Unfortunately, he didn't, so I looked in the phonebook and I couldn't find anyone by the last name of 'Kidman'. So finally I went to the island hospital and after some persuasion I learned that Chuck's parents died a few years ago in a car accident, and he took up residence in an apartment above a boxing gym."

Amelia shook her head. "All the same, poor Chuck. Do you think he'll be okay on that island?"

"I think he will," Sonny said. "Knuckles is with him, after all."

###

"Sonny was lying," Espen said once he, Victor, and Charles got back the house. "I followed him and the others when they left, and saw what they saw. While Chuck really did get captured by Dr. Robotnik who also took the Chaos Emeralds, Sonny saw just as I did that Nik was really Dr. Robotnik."

"It's not Sonny lying that bothers me," Victor said. "But the fact that we can't tell anyone about this or we'll get thrown in prison for unintentionally helping a major criminal."

"And I don't think we're getting paid anytime soon," Charles sighed. "Why do you think Dr. Robotnik wanted the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Who knows, Charles," Victor replied. "There have been a lot of strange things happening on this island lately. First Dr. Robotnik, then The Blue Blur, and now it turns out that an ordinary kid is actually The Blue Blur whose friend can also grow two tails and fly based on what Espen told us last night."

"So what are we going to do about rent?" Charles sighed.

"We'll manage," Espen said. "But in the meantime, I think we should investigate these new powers we've been developing lately. They may hold the key to what's really going on."

To be continued…


	16. Chapter 16: Threat

**So from here on out, I'm going to be referring to Dr. Robotnik as Dr. Eggman to avoid confusion except for the characters who don't know that Dr. Robotnik is possessed by Dr. Eggman's spirit.**

Chapter 16: Threat

Two years had passed since Angel Island floated above the clouds and Dr. Eggman had gone missing. During that time, Sonny, Miles, and Amelia graduated South Island Middle School and were now attending high school in Station Square which was a coastal city on the mainland. They were also more in touch with their respective spirits than before and had nearly mastered their newfound abilities. Sonny could activate the Sonic Phase whenever he wanted to, Miles' Tailspin Moment allowed him to solve almost any problem, and Amelia could summon the Piko Hammer with a mere thought.

As the bell rang on the first day of a new semester, Sonny and his friends were about to enter the main brick-lined building when a familiar face greeted them on the stone steps.

"Hey, guys," Chuck said casually. He was a few inches taller than Sonny, who stood at five-foot-five, and had let his red hair grow out into long dreadlocks. His shirt and boxer-shirts were the same color as before, only faded and worn-out, while he wore no shoes on his feet.

"Chuck!" Amelia exclaimed and immediately hugged him. She looked about the same, but slightly taller and her hair was now down to her shoulders. "We never thought we'd see you again!"

"I didn't think so, either," Chuck replied, hugging back. "But I didn't come here to visit."

"What do you mean?" Miles asked. He looked the same as well, but had traded his orange hoodie and sweatpants for an orange and yellow polo shirt with khaki shorts.

"Well, I can't talk about it right here," Chuck said, eyeing the other students that were coming in suspiciously. "Do you guys have a lunch break?"

"Yeah, around 11:00," Miles answered.

"Where do you meet?" Chuck asked.

"On the roof, like we used to in middle school," Sonny said. His spiky hair had grown longer and his arms and legs had gotten more muscular from the amount of training he did. But otherwise, he wore the same style of clothes as he did before and rode the same skateboard Miles fixed for him to school.

After briefly glancing at the main building's roof, Chuck nodded. "All right, I'll be there."

###

"What? The Master Emerald shattered?!" Sonny said after taking a bite out of his chili-dog.

"Yeah, it was really weird," Chuck replied. "I was just about to settle in for an afternoon nap when I heard something crack. So I ran up to the altar, and saw that the Chaos Emeralds were missing and the Master Emerald was broken into several fragments. Then I heard the sound of running water, and turned around to behold a strange creature with big green eyes and a watery body. Naturally, I tried to fight it but my punches went right through and then the thing slithered away in a puddle of water just as Angel Island was falling to the ground. The impact sent enormous tidal waves that would've submerged South Island, but luckily the Chaotix Detectives and I were there to help."

"So if the Chaotix Detectives helped you, does that mean they know we were lying?"

"They figured out you were lying right after you told them about me, but they've forgiven you since they discovered spirits within themselves that are like Sonic and his friends. Fortunately, these spirits seem to be good-natured and they go by the names Vector the Crocodile, Charmy Bee, and Espio the Chameleon."

"I see," Miles responded. "So you want us to help you look for the Chaos Emeralds?"

"No, I only came here to warn you. I'm actually looking for shards of the Master Emerald that seemed to have scattered along with the Chaos Emeralds."

"That sounds like a pain," Amelia said.

Sonny finished the rest of his chili-dog and then said, "Well, we may not have as much free-time with school and all, but we'll try to help you find the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald shards."

"You three can look for the Chaos Emeralds if you want to, but I need to find the Master Emerald shards on my own," Chuck replied. "It was my carelessness that caused the Master Emerald to get shattered in the first place."

"Don't blame yourself, Chuck," Miles said. "You don't know what caused the Master Emerald to shatter. It could've been that creature you encountered or even…"

"Dr. Eggman?" Chuck said, finishing Miles' sentence. "I thought about that too, but I would've seen him if he had done it."

"Maybe he used some kind of device that allowed him to break the Master Emerald from a distance," Miles said thoughtfully. "But why would he shatter the Master Emerald? Unless his plan was to submerge South Island, it doesn't make sense."

"I don't know," Sonny replied. "But whatever Dr. Eggman may be planning, we'll be there to stop him."

Amelia and Miles nodded, while Chuck grimaced.

###

Later, a storm blew in from the coast forcing the students who were leaving for the day quickly ran to their cars or homes using their shirts and/or textbooks for cover as the rain came steadily down. Sonny and Miles were about to do the same when Amelia pulled out her pink umbrella which they all walked under as they left school. A few blocks away, Chuck had just come out of a casino carrying three Master Emerald shards which he decided to put with the other three he found at the Station Square City Hall. A sneeze suddenly caught Chuck's attention, and he noticed a girl about his age standing next to him.

She was one head shorter than him, with long dreadlocks of orange hair decorated by white beads. Her eyes were the color of the sky, and she wore a white tank-top and multi-colored skirt with matching white sandals. Chuck suddenly felt his face grow warm and his hands twitch a little. The girl started to shiver, causing Chuck to approach her.

"Are you okay?" Chuck asked nervously.

The girl turned to him and her eyes widened. "You can see me?"

"Uh, yeah," Chuck answered.

"Thank goodness!" The girl smiled and suddenly hugged Chuck.

Chuck said nothing as his heart pounded against his chest.

Noticing Chuck's nervous face, the girl let go. "I'm sorry. I was just so cold that I thought hugging you might make me feel warm."

"Are you still cold?" Chuck asked.

"A little," the girl answered.

"Then come on," Chuck said, opening his arms. "Don't be shy."

"Okay."

After a while, the rain stopped and people started filtering out of the casino.

"Feel better?" Chuck said looking down at the girl, who nodded in response.

As Chuck relaxed his arms, the girl backed away a little and then said, "Thank you."

"It was no big deal," Chuck said, trying to sound casual. "Are you heading home?"

"I don't…have a home," the girl said hesitantly.

"Do you have somewhere to go?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I can manage."

"Okay, but let me know if you need help. My name's Chuck Kidman, and I'm staying in town with some friends of mine."

The girl stared briefly at the hand Chuck extended out to her, and then she took it. "I'm Tia Kale."

"Nice to meet you."

Then after Tia left, Chuck looked around to make sure no one was around before transforming into Knuckles. Once he did, he glided up to the top of the casino roof and hid behind the sign. A few minutes later, Knuckles heard the sound of rockets and looked up to see the Egg Mobile flying over him.

###

In front of an apartment complex a few blocks from the casino, there were several police-cars and policemen pointing their guns at a strange-looking creature that stood on the sidewalk. It had a watery body with arms and legs, green eyes, and a visible brain. Nearby bystanders either stood on the sidelines or left the scene in a hurry.

"It's no use, Captain," one of the policemen said. "Our bullets have no effect against this thing."

"Well, keep firing!" The Captain ordered.

So the policemen fired their guns at the creature, which didn't even try to dodge. The bullets were absorbed into its body, and then it sent them flying back. While policemen dodged the incoming bullets, the creature attempted to take a step forward but was blocked by a blue blur that came out of nowhere.

"So you must be the creature Chuck was talking about," Sonic said, standing in front of the creature with his arms folded. "You're a lot uglier than I expected."

In response, the creature lashed out at Sonic with its arm. Fortunately, Sonic dodged it and then he tried punching and kicking the thing. But after each hit, the creature would reform itself. So Sonic resorted to spinning circles around the creature, causing it to become confused, which allowed Sonic to jump into the air and slam down on it in a curled ball. Afterwards, the creature was nothing more than a puddle of water that moved slightly.

"Very impressive, Sonic, I never thought you could beat Chaos that easily."

Sonic looked up and saw Dr. Eggman fly down in his Egg Mobile. "Eggman! So this creature is _your_ creation?"

"Oh, no, I didn't make Chaos," Dr. Eggman replied. "I released him from imprisonment inside the Master Emerald, and in exchange for his assistance in helping me turn Station Square into Robotnikland I've offered to give him the Chaos Emeralds."

Then from a hidden compartment inside the Egg Mobile, Dr. Eggman pulled out the Green and Cyan Chaos Emeralds. Next he threw them at the creature called Chaos, which absorbed the Emeralds into its body. This was then followed by a brief flash of light, and Chaos emerged out of the puddle in a form that was slightly bigger than the previous one with more internal organs visible.

"Whoa, it actually swallowed the Chaos Emeralds," Sonic exclaimed. "That can't be good!"

"Indeed, but I've stayed too long and must be going," Dr. Eggman replied. "Come, Chaos! We've got some Emeralds to find!"

As Dr. Eggman flew the Egg Mobile down the street, Chaos turned into a puddle and slithered to a nearby storm-drain. Sonic watched it go, and then he ran down the street to follow Dr. Eggman. He managed to avoid traffic, but eventually he lost sight of Dr. Eggman and had to hide as the police-cars sped towards him.

To be continued…


	17. Chapter 17: Trouble

Chapter 17: Trouble

A week later, the teacher brought in a new student before Sonny and Amelia's class started. She was about average height, with shoulder-length ash-blonde hair, turquoise-blue eyes covered in light-blue eyeshadow, lightly tanned skin, a small nose, and a coy smile. She wore a tight-fitting white T-shirt with a giant pink heart in the center, a leather mini-skirt, white stockings trailing down from her thighs, and pink heeled shoes.

"Hi," the girl said in a deep seductive voice that made all the boys shiver a little. "My name's Rouge Baxter, and I hope to get to know every single of you."

While all the boys gawked as she searched for a seat, the girls glared at her. Rouge in turn met everyone's gaze until her eyes turned to Sonny, who was the only boy in the room who didn't gawk at her. She approached him slowly and then leaned over his desk.

"Hey, boy," Rouge said, getting Sonny's attention. "Is the seat behind you taken?"

"It is now," Amelia said, getting up from her desk which was located across from Sonny's and moving all her stuff to the empty one behind Sonny.

"Oh, well," Rouge sighed. "Then I'll take the seat across from you."

Before Amelia could protest, Rouge occupied the desk across from Sonny and set down her leather shoulder-bag next to it. Once the teacher started the lesson, Rouge pulled a pink notebook and matching pen out of her bag. While she took notes, all the boys except Sonny kept staring at her.

###

"So you ran into Eggman too?" Sonny said to Chuck later that day on his way home from school.

"Yeah, he was stealing the Silver Chaos Emerald just after I obtained some more Master Emerald shards. I tried to stop him, but then that same creature I saw on Angel Island appeared, only it looked bigger than before. Then Dr. Eggman gave it the Chaos Emerald, and the thing grew even bigger."

"Did you try fighting it?"

Chuck clenched his fists. "I did, but I barely won."

"That's what I was afraid of. It seems that the monster, which Dr. Eggman called 'Chaos', gets stronger with every Emerald it absorbs."

"He also said that Chaos came from the Master Emerald, right?"

Sonny nodded. "Did your parents ever mention such a creature in the stories they told you?"

"I don't remember, but last night I had a weird dream where I was at the altar on Angel Island. The thing is, though, it looked brand-new and Tia was there."

"Who's Tia?" Miles said, startling Sonny and Chuck.

"Miles, where did you come from?" Sonny asked.

"Over there," Miles said, nodding over his shoulder at an alley where a bulky teenager with short purple hair, big black eyes, wearing a white undershirt and purple trousers was slouched over. "That guy was bugging me about his missing frog."

"Weird," Sonny said, looking in Miles' direction. "Doesn't he go to our school?"

"Yeah," Miles answered. "His name is Biggs Cater. Not the brightest guy I know, but he's honest and gentle. That's why he gets picked on a lot."

"Maybe you should be friends with him," Sonny suggested.

"I thought about that. He kind of reminds me of myself before I met you, Sonny." Miles sighed. "Well, anyway, I wanted to show you guys something I've been working on for a while."

"What is it?" Chuck asked.

"I'm going to let you be surprised," Miles said, and ran ahead of Sonny and Chuck.

###

Back at the school, Amelia was just heading out when she felt something brush against her shoulder. It was Rouge, and she was soon followed by a group of four guys who followed behind her. Irritated, Amelia tried to walk ahead of them.

"Hey, pinkie," Rouge called, forcing Amelia to turn around.

"What do you want?" Amelia asked, trying to hide the irritation in her voice.

"Do you know where Sonny went?"

Amelia gripped her textbook tighter. "No, I don't."

"Well, if you see him, tell him I said, 'hi.'"

Then as Rouge and her posse of boys walked away, Amelia glared at them. She then took out her pink cellphone and dialed Sonny's number. At the other end, the phone rang for a few seconds, followed by Sonny's voicemail, which made Amelia curse. Once the _beep_ went off, Amelia said, "Hi, Sonny, it's Amelia. I was just wondering where you were, and if you could call me back to let me know that would be great. Bye!"

After she hung up, Amelia crossed the street and headed in the direction of the apartment where Sonny and Miles lived together. She figured Chuck might be there since he decided to stay the night before. As she passed by the same alley Miles went through, Biggs got up from his slouched position and approached her.

"Excuse me," Biggs asked. "Have you seen a frog with a tail lately?"

"No," Amelia responded. "Why do you ask?"

"Because he's mine and his name is Froggy. He went missing yesterday, and now I can't find him."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but haven't seen your frog."

Amelia was just about to walk past Biggs when he blocked her path.

"If you do see him, let me know."

"Okay. I will."

Biggs then smiled and stepped out of Amelia's way. Once she came to the end of the block, Amelia noticed a baby bird pecking at something underneath a hedge that ran alongside the sidewalk. She knelt down and parted the hedge slightly, beholding the Blue Chaos Emerald.

"Wow, what a lucky find!" Amelia exclaimed as she picked up the Blue Chaos Emerald and put it in her pocket. She was just about to get up when the baby bird caught her attention. "Now what should I do about you?"

" _Chaos Emerald detected!_ "

Amelia looked up at the hedge and saw a green and red robot emerging from the other side.

To be continued…


	18. Chapter 18: Exploration

Chapter 18: Exploration

Near the docks, Miles led Sonny and Chuck to a small warehouse that lay between two larger ones. He then took out a key and unlocked a side-door, motioning Sonny and Chuck to follow. After they did, Miles locked the door behind them and turned on a nearby light-switch. Inside the warehouse was a yellow and red biplane with a single seat and 'Sonic' painted along the side in bold white lettering.

"Well, what do you think?" Miles asked, trying to hide his excitement.

"I think it's awesome," Sonny responded after a brief pause. "Did you make this yourself?"

"No, I found it in a junkyard back on South Island," Miles answered. "All I did was fix it up, give it a paint-job, and insert a new engine into it."

Miles then walked over to the front of the plane. Sonny and Chuck walked over and beheld a glass cap over the tip of the plane's propeller, revealing the Yellow Chaos Emerald inside. Next, Miles lifted the cover to the plane's engine, showing a series of wires that connected it to the Chaos Emerald.

"Where did you find the Chaos Emerald?" Chuck asked.

"At the beach a few days ago," Miles said. "I was originally going to give the plane a regular engine, but then I decided to see what would happen if I attached the Chaos Emerald to it. So I did, and the engine ran for hours."

"Then the reason why Dr. Eggman wanted the Chaos Emeralds in the first place is because they can provide an unlimited energy source," Chuck guessed.

"Exactly," Miles replied. "Now I haven't flown this plane yet but I was thinking of taking it for a test flight Saturday morning, and you're welcome to watch."

"Sounds good to me," Sonny said.

"I've found all the Master Emeralds shards I could from this city, so why not?" Chuck replied.

"Then it's settled," Miles announced. "We'll meet here tomorrow at 6 AM."

###

The next day, Sonny and Chuck met up in front of the warehouse just as the sky turned bright-orange.

"Where's Amelia?" Chuck asked.

"I tried calling her, but I got was her voicemail," Sonny said.

Chuck scratched his head. "But at least you have her phone-number. Wish I thought to ask Tia for hers."

"Now who is this 'Tia' you've been muttering about? Is she your girlfriend?"

Chuck blushed slightly. "She's…a girl I met while I was looking for Master Emerald shards."

"Is she cute?"

"Um, sort of."

"Well, if you see her again, maybe you should ask her out?"

"But I don't know where she lives, or anything about her for that matter."

"You know her name. Look her up in the phone directory when we get back to Station Square."

"Hey, guys," Miles said as he approached them from behind. "What were you two talking about?"

"Chuck was just telling me about a cute girl he met in town named Tia," Sonny answered.

"Sonny!" Chuck whined.

"Oh, so that's who Tia is," Miles said snidely. Then he turned to Sonny. "So I take it Amelia couldn't come?"

"Since when did it become my job to talk to her?" Sonny snapped. "I couldn't reach her."

"Huh, that's weird," Miles shrugged. "Anyway, let's get moving."

"Do you have a pilot's license?" Chuck asked as the three of them went inside the warehouse.

"Sure, I do," Miles replied. "Otherwise, I wouldn't try doing this in broad daylight."

Sonny then jumped up onto the top wing of the plane and stood there. "Have you thought of a name for the plane?"

"Yes, I did," Miles replied as he got into the pilot's seat. "What do you think of _The Tornado_?"

"I like it," Sonny said.

"Same here," Chuck added as he got up onto the top wing of the plane and stood next to Sonny.

"Hey," Miles said, looking up at Sonny and Chuck. "I didn't say you two could come along. If anything goes wrong—

"Relax, Miles," Sonny said. "I have a feeling that you'll do fine."

"Yeah, and something about riding a plane like this feels familiar," Chuck added.

"I feel the same way," replied Sonny. "Must be because Sonic and Knuckles must've ridden planes in this fashion before."

"All right, but hold on tight," Miles said as he pushed a button that opened the warehouse doors.

In a few minutes, the three boys were flying along the beaches near Station Square at top speeds. While Miles kept the plane steady, Sonny and Chuck were holding onto the wing for dear life. Then blue and red auras surrounded the two respectfully, and Sonic and Knuckles emerged. While Knuckles decided to lie against the tail of _The Tornado_ , Sonic stood on top with his arms folded while the wind blew through his air.

"Hey, guys!" Miles shouted, looking at his radio-shaped Emerald Detector which he took out of his pocket. "I'm detecting a Chaos Emerald to the Northeast! Should we go check it out?"

"Lead the way!" Sonic said, giving Miles a thumbs-up.

Miles nodded and banked _The Tornado_ in that direction.

###

Eventually, _The Tornado_ was flying over a tree-lined valley containing ancient stone ruins that were in a similar fashion to the altar on Angel Island. However, the place was also crawling with Dr. Eggman's robots who immediately spotted the plane and shot lasers at it. Miles managed to dodge most of them, and landed _The Tornado_ in a circle of trees that lay out of the robots' sight. Sonic and Knuckles got off immediately, while Miles followed.

"You stay here, Miles," Sonic said. "Someone has to watch the plane while we're gone."

"Okay, but you'll need the Emerald Detector," Miles said, tossing the radio-shaped device to Knuckles who barely caught it.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Knuckles said in concern. "Because I could stay behind and you could go with Sonic."

"That's not a bad idea, Knuckles," Sonic said. "If you're okay with it, that is."

Knuckles shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind."

"All right, then," Miles said as he transformed into Tails. "Let's do this!"

As Tails carried Sonic with him over the trees down toward the ruins, Knuckles stood with his arms folded in the shadow of _The Tornado_. As the day wore on, he grew tired and decided to rest against the wheel of the plane. Just before his eyes closed, Knuckles thought he saw Tia walking towards him.

###

In the ruins, Sonic and Tails fought their way through hordes of Dr. Eggman's robots while still trying to locate the Chaos Emerald. But it seemed as they got closer to the source, the more robots there were. Eventually, they found themselves at the entrance to a large square-shaped pyramid located in the center of the ruins after running up a steep flight of stone steps. There, Dr. Eggman stood holding the Purple Chaos Emerald in his large hands.

"Welcome to Mystic Ruins, Sonic," Dr. Eggman said as his escort of robots pointed their lasers at Sonic and Tails. "I see you didn't like my welcoming committee."

"Not really," Sonic replied.

Before Dr. Eggman could respond, Sonic jumped into the air and curled up into a ball. He spun mid-air so fast that he crushed every robot he hit. Once all the robots surrounding Dr. Eggman were finished, Sonic walked up to Dr. Eggman and held out his hand.

"Now if you don't want to end up like your robots, I suggest you hand over the Chaos Emerald," Sonic said sternly.

"I don't think so," Dr. Eggman said, clenching the Purple Chaos Emerald tightly. "Chaos!"

Out of the pyramid appeared Chaos, who was now taller and bigger than Sonic with more apparent organs and bones showing beneath its watery flesh. Dr. Eggman then tossed the Purple Chaos Emerald at Chaos, which once again absorbed the Emerald. There was a flash of light like before, and Chaos had now grown significantly with a huge upper-body and bulking arms that were liquid on the outside but solid bone on the inside. Sonic immediately charged at the monster, but Chaos managed to block him with one of its arms. It then flung Sonic back down the stone steps, forcing Tails to fly down to catch him. Meanwhile, Dr. Eggman got into his Egg Mobile, which was parked next to the pyramid's entrance and he flew away with Chaos disappearing in a puddle of water.

"Eggman!" Sonic shouted, once Tails caught him mid-fall.

"We'll catch up to him in _The Tornado_ ," Tails said flying towards the trees where the plane was parked.

To be continued…


	19. Chapter 19: Searchers

Chapter 19: Searchers

While Sonic and Tails decided to chase after Dr. Eggman in _The Tornado_ , Knuckles decided to stay behind. He sensed the presence of several Master Emerald shards in the area, and wanted to find them all. Then when he got to Mystic Ruins, Knuckles was amazed.

"This is same place I saw in my dream," Knuckles exclaimed. "Except it was new, and Tia was talking about the Master Emerald."

As Knuckles searched for the Master Emerald shards, he tried to make sense of the dreams him and Chuck were experiencing. He knew Tia had something to do with them, but the answer wasn't coming to him. About midway through the search, Knuckles decided to investigate the pyramid at the center. Inside the entrance at the top of the steps, Knuckles beheld a large mosaic carved in stone. On the far left, animals with humanlike features were fighting against a faceless animal with a shadowy mass surrounding it. The next image was the world being torn apart with a gigantic multi-eyed and jawed serpent emerging from it followed by the world being reformed by a winged creature wearing a spherical stone on a choker-style necklace. Then the mural showed the Mystic Ruins being occupied by humans, while to the right a large island was floating into the sky with a large green gemstone on it.

"That's Angel Island, and the green gemstone is clearly the Master Emerald," Knuckles said out loud as he stared and the floating island image.

The last series of images showed some of the humans on Angel Island making their way to the Master Emerald while harming small droplet-shaped creatures with wings. Then a monster that looked like Chaos appeared with the seven Chaos Emeralds surrounding it. Afterwards, a gigantic watery monster appeared out of the ocean below Angel Island, followed by a flash of lightning, and Angel Island was falling towards the sea. But then the final image showed Angel Island intact on the ocean's surface surrounded by a bright halo of light produced by a female figure whose features had faded with time.

 _This must be the story of how Angel Island fell into the sea_ , Knuckles thought as he walked back over to the image depicting the animals with humanlike features. _But what I don_ _'_ _t get are the images that came before Mystic Ruins was established. They seem to indicate that the world was destroyed and then reformed._

Knuckles' eyes eventually fell on an animal that was colored by red pieces of glass, with large fists, a pointed nose, and zigzag-shaped tail. Knuckles then looked down at his own fists and tail, which were similar to the animal depicted on the mosaic. A sudden clanking noise interrupted Knuckles' thoughts, forcing him to turn around. At the entrance stood a humanoid robot with red, black, and yellow armor.

"Are you one of Dr. Eggman's robots?" Knuckles said, putting his fists in a defensive position.

" _I am, or was,_ " the robot responded. " _But I am not here to fight you. These I offer to show I mean no harm_."

From a small compartment in its arm, the robot removed three Master Emerald shards.

Knuckles eyed the shards suspiciously. "Where did you find those?"

" _Around here while I was searching for my friends_ ," the robot replied.

"Your friends?"

" _My fellow robots._ " The robot then tossed the Master Emerald shards to Knuckles, who managed to catch them. " _Allow me to explain._ "

The robot, who was apparently named E-102 Gamma, told his story to Knuckles who reluctantly turned back into Chuck and listened. He was created by Dr. Eggman as part of a new line of robots called the E-Series, which were intended to be more efficient than the ones Eggman originally used to invade South Island with, and sent on a mission to look for a frog with a tail. After he found it, Gamma brought the frog to Dr. Eggman who now resided on a flying fortress called the Egg Carrier. Once he did, Dr. Eggman was very pleased with Gamma but disappointed in the other robots who didn't find a frog with a tail. In response, Dr. Eggman teleported the other robots away, and told Gamma to fetch a Chaos Emerald from a girl who was imprisoned on the Carrier along with a baby bird.

"What did this girl look like?" Chuck asked.

" _She had pink hair and wore a magenta-colored dress_ ," Gamma answered.

"That must be Amelia," Chuck said to himself. Then he said, "So then what happened?"

" _I was walking to her cell when I passed by a room where one of my fellow robots, Beta, was being torn apart and rebuilt. In confusion, I left. When I came to the girl_ _'_ _s cell, I immediately demanded the Chaos Emerald she held in her hand. She refused to give it up, so I tried persuading her, but then the girl...made me realize that what I was doing was wrong. Out of guilt, I let the girl and the bird go, while I secretly left the Carrier to find the other robots of my series in order to shut them down._ "

"What did you need to shut down the other robots for?"

" _To make sure that they didn_ _'_ _t harm anyone in the places they were sent to. So far, I have found most of them. But Beta is still missing, which leads me to believe he is still on the Egg Carrier. I must return there before Dr. Robotnik suspects what I am doing._ "

"Can I come with you? I have some friends waiting for me on the Egg Carrier as well," Chuck said.

Gamma paused, and then he said, " _Very well. Follow me_."

To be continued…


	20. Chapter 20: Escape

**20** **th** **chapter, guys! Thank you so much for supporting this fanfiction up till now!**

Chapter 20: Escape

Onboard the Egg Carrier, which was a massive airship decorated in red and yellow paint with Dr. Eggman's face along the sides of it, Amelia was navigating through an endless series of corridors with the baby bird in both hands and the Blue Chaos Emerald in her dress-pocket. She had managed to avoid most of the robots that were hovering around so far, and hoped it would stay that way. The bird was constantly chirping, though, which often got the robots' attention before Amelia quickly hid somewhere. During one of these moments, she bumped into something, which startled her enough to immediately summon the Piko Hammer. But when she saw what it was, Amelia was surprised.

"Biggs," Amelia said lowering the Piko Hammer. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I was only looking for Froggy," Biggs replied, eyeing the Piko Hammer nervously. "You're not going to hurt me, are you?"

"Of course not. How did you get onto this ship?"

"Well, I followed the robot that took my Froggy to an underground place where this ship was held. I went inside, and then we were suddenly airborne. I've been hiding in this closet for hours, but I'm worried about Froggy."

"Then let's find Froggy together," Amelia responded, putting the baby bird on her left shoulder. "I'll protect you every step of the way!"

So Amelia and Biggs set off together with the baby bird holding onto Amelia's shoulder tightly. While Amelia was able to beat back the robots that came their way, she couldn't completely destroy them which forced her and Biggs to constantly run away. They eventually came to a large chamber with a shallow pool inside that was guarded by three robots. At the center of the pool, a single lily-pad held a large green frog with a strange-looking tail attached to it.

"Froggy!" Biggs cried.

The robots heard him, and immediately fired their lasers. Amelia pushed Biggs behind a pillar and leaped over the pool. She transformed into Amy and slammed the Piko Hammer down on the first robot who fired a laser at her. After smashing the robot to pieces, Amy took care of the other two robots in one swing which sent them both crashing into the control panels along the walls. While this was going on, Biggs approached the pool and took out an extendable fishing rod he carried in his pocket. Next, he sat down and closed his eyes. A royal purple aura briefly enveloped him and then he was larger with purple cat ears and a bushy tail.

Amy heard the whir of the fishing rod, and looked behind her. "Big!"

The cat-eared Biggs looked up just as Froggy swallowed the fishing hook. "Amy!"

Big immediately reeled Froggy in just as Amy ran around the pool. Once Big unhooked Froggy, he embraced Amy just as she did. Then the doors to the chamber opened, revealing Dr. Eggman surrounded by a small unit of robots with their guns pointed at Amy and Big.

"Well, well, well," Dr. Eggman mused. "I heard rumors that there were a couple of stowaway rats, but I never suspected that they would actually be a female hedgehog and an obese cat."

###

Meanwhile, Chuck rode on Gamma's back as he flew towards the Egg Carrier on rocket-powered feet. Once they were close enough, Chuck changed into Knuckles and glided down onto the landing strip. Gamma landed close behind and walked up to Knuckles.

" _I must find Beta_ ," Gamma said. " _Good luck finding your friends._ "

"Yeah," Knuckles replied. "And thanks for the ride."

As Knuckles and Gamma went their separate ways, a lone figure with bat-wings watched them.

The silence was interrupted by a man's voice coming in through an ear-piece the figure wore. " _Rouge the Bat! Do you read me?_ "

"Loud and clear," the figure replied softly.

" _Have you located The Blue Blur?_ "

"Not yet, but I know he's somewhere onboard Dr. Robotnik's ship." A sudden explosion caught Rouge's attention. "I might need to call you back, Commander. There's some action going on near the front of the Carrier."

" _Then proceed to investigate it with caution. We can't let anyone see you._ "

"Got it."

###

"Let me go!" Amy protested as she struggled against the two robots that held her arms.

The baby bird tried to fly from Amy's shoulder, but it landed on the floor of the landing strip in a matter of seconds.

"Where is the Blue Chaos Emerald?" Dr. Eggman said as he forced Froggy to regurgitate, which caused it to cough up the Red Chaos Emerald.

"I don't have it on me," Amy insisted.

"Then why are you struggling?"

"Because I don't want to be near you!" Amy re-summoned the Piko Hammer to her from the robot who held it and bashed the two robots who held her captive.

She then bent down and picked up the baby bird as she ran away. In the process, the Blue Chaos Emerald fell out of her dress-pocket. Dr. Eggman noticed and ordered the green and red robot who captured Amelia to go after Amy. With one hand, Dr. Eggman leaned down and picked up the Blue Chaos Emerald while Big watched.

"What are you going to do to Froggy?" Big asked anxiously.

"I'm going to give the tail back to its rightful owner," Dr. Eggman replied smugly. "Chaos!"

To be continued…


	21. Chapter 21: Showdown

Chapter 21: Showdown

Amy was cornered by the green and red robot and tried to fend it off with the Piko Hammer. However, it managed to counter her swings pretty well and then the robot knocked the Piko Hammer out of Amy's hands and onto the floor several feet away from them. Before Amy could run for the Hammer, the red and green robot closed in. Then a laser was fired through the robot's head, causing it to fall. Behind the robot was Gamma, with smoke coming out of his laser-gun.

" _Are you all right?_ " Gamma asked.

"Gamma," Amy said in slight shock while the baby bird clawed its way up to her shoulder. "You saved my life."

"Amy!"

Recognizing that voice, Amy turned and saw Sonic running towards her.

"Sonic!" Amy cried.

"Get out of the way!" Sonic responded. "I'm going to show that robot what happens when anyone threatens my friends!"

Realizing he was referring to Gamma, Amy stood in Sonic's path, causing him to come to a screeching halt.

"Amy, what are you doing?" Sonic said as he tried to get past Amy, but she blocked him.

"Don't hurt Gamma," Amy said. "He's the one who allowed me to escape the prison cell Dr. Eggman threw me into after capturing me."

"You were captured by Dr. Eggman? What for?"

"For a Chaos Emerald I found." Amy then clamped her hands on Sonic's shoulders, forcing him to stop moving. "I know what you're thinking, but Gamma is not like any of the robots you've fought before. He's smarter than they are, and knows right from wrong."

"But he's a robot," Sonic replied. "He only does what Dr. Eggman programs him to do. Now stand aside and let me finish him off."

"I won't let you," Amy said firmly. "You'll have to get past me to get to Gamma."

"Don't make me have to hurt you, Amy."

Gamma suddenly pushed Amy into Sonic's arms and shielded them both as two laser-shots came from above. One grazed Gamma's shoulder and the other went through his side. Sparks flew as the lasers hit these areas, but Gamma didn't move. From out of the sky came a robot that looked like Gamma but with black and yellow armor wielding a laser-gun in its left hand.

" _Gamma, why are you defending the enemies of Dr. Robotnik?_ " The black and yellow robot asked.

" _They are not our enemies, Beta_ ," Gamma responded. " _Dr. Robotnik is the enemy._ "

" _How dare you speak of Dr. Robotnik in such a manner?! For that, you must be punished!_ " Beta then fired his laser-gun again.

Gamma managed to dodge the shots, and then he flew up towards Beta who in turn flew away.

When they were gone, Sonic let go of Amy who was blushing slightly. "Now you stay here while I go after Dr. Eggman. I'll let Tails know where you are."

As Sonic ran towards the bow of the Carrier, Amy waited. After a few minutes, she glanced in the direction Gamma went and the baby bird. It chirped mournfully tried to fly, but with little success.

"I'm sure you miss your parents, Lilly," Amy said, rubbing the bird's head. "Maybe we'll find them when we get off this crazy ship. But for now, there's a certain robot I owe a favor to."

Then with the baby bird Lilly on her shoulder, Amy took off in Gamma's direction.

###

Surrounded by aircraft hangars on all sides, Gamma and Beta faced off against one another. They flew around in circles firing their laser-guns at each other, with some shots missing and others making their mark. Once the guns were out of ammo, the two robots resorted to physical force. But because they were both damaged from the laser shots, their movements were very stiff. Yet Gamma managed to make one finishing blow that sent Beta flying. After crashing into one of the hangars, Beta sank down onto the ground in a heap of broken metal and exposed wires.

" _Beta, my brother,_ " Gamma said limping over to Beta, where he extended his hand out to him. " _Can you stand?_ "

" _No_ ," Beta responded, lifting his broken hand up. " _But you won't either!_ "

Beta suddenly thrusted his hand through Gamma's chest, causing electrical sparks to fly everywhere. Gamma briefly cried out in pain, and then he fell onto the floor. His electronic eyes flickered for a few minutes before they went completely blank. The same thing happened to Beta, and the two robots fell apart. From the wreckage emerged two capsules that opened, and a fully-grown bird flew from each of them.

It was then that Amy appeared, and was horrified by the sight of the wreckage. She got down on her knees and started crying when Lilly suddenly started chirping. The two birds that flew from Gamma and Beta's bodies circled around Amy while Lilly tried to fly. For a few seconds, Lilly hovered and then she fell into Amy's hand.

"These must be your parents," Amy guessed.

Lilly chirped in response, and tried to fly again but the result was the same.

"Well, let me help you reach them." Amy swung her hand upward, which launched Lilly into the air.

At first, Lilly fell back down but then just before hitting the floor she miraculously flew upwards. Her parents circled around Amy once more, chirping happily, before they took off towards the sky. Lilly followed a little ways behind, but she managed to keep up with them. As the three birds left, Amy waved to them before they disappeared below the clouds. Behind her, Gamma and Beta's bodies exploded, causing Amy to duck for cover. When she looked back, all that was left of Gamma and Beta were a few charred pieces and blast-marks.

###

Meanwhile, Sonic was busy fighting the new-and-improved Chaos. It had now consumed two more Chaos Emeralds, giving it six in total, as well as the tail that was attached to Froggy. He witnessed Dr. Eggman feed Chaos the frog, which caused Big to break free from the robots who guarded him and run toward the monster. Next, Big took out his fishing rod and threw it into Chaos' mouth which allowed Froggy to bite on it. Big then immediately pulled Froggy out and ran away as Chaos attacked Sonic. While Sonic did manage to hold his own, his kicks and spin moves hardly did any damage to the massive watery creature that now had a frog-like body and a curved tail.

"Feeling tired, Sonic?" Dr. Eggman said tauntingly. "Want me to have Chaos put you to sleep?"

"No way, Dr. Eggman," Sonic responded after another failed spin attack. "I'm not giving up just yet."

"I'm sure you wish you had the Chaos Emeralds now so you could transform into Super Sonic and destroy Chaos for good."

"Shut up! The only reason you're gloating right now is because you think you've got the upper-hand."

"But I do. I've got the Egg Carrier, six of the seven Chaos Emeralds, and Chaos to turn Station Square into Robotnikland which will be the starting point for my personal empire. Now what do you have that I don't?"

"Friends!" Knuckles said, gliding in from the left with both fists out.

He punched Chaos so hard that it fell onto its side, and then Knuckles proceeded to give it a series of pummels before Chaos whipped his tail. This sent Knuckles flying in Sonic's direction, but he managed to glide safely down to his feet. Chaos then righted himself up and charged at Sonic and Knuckles.

"Um, Sonic, do you have a plan?" Knuckles asked nervously.

"I think so," Sonic responded. "Just follow my lead."

The two dodged Chaos before he hit them, causing Chaos to fall off the side of the glass-floored arena they were fighting in. But a few minutes later, Chaos leaped back up on frog-like feet and landed back into the arena. While Sonic curled up into a ball and spun rapidly, Knuckles concentrated really hard and made metallic claws appear on his hands.

"Now launch me at Chaos as hard as you can!" Sonic yelled.

"I'll try!" Knuckles responded, and punched the spinning Sonic into the air with a strong uppercut motion.

The force of the punch allowed Sonic to not only blast his way through Chaos' body completely from above but also cause Chaos to fall apart. But before it had a chance to regenerate, Sonic ran around destroying every fragment of Chaos with Knuckles gliding over to help. Yet despite their best efforts, the fragments of Chaos came back together and formed a complete whole once more.

"This thing is too strong," Sonic said. "Not even our combined strength can defeat it."

"Wait a minute," Knuckles responded, reaching into his boxer-shirt pockets. "I think I have something that'll help us."

From the left pocket, Knuckles pulled out a small capsule-shaped device with blinking red lights on top of it.

"What is that?" Sonic asked as he and Knuckles dodged an attack from Chaos.

"It's a Freezer robot," Knuckles answered. "I found one while I was looking for Master Emerald shards, and was going to keep it as a souvenir."

"Does it still work?"

"I think so, but we only have one shot at using this to defeat Chaos."

"All right, just tell me what to do."

Once they got a safe enough distance from Chaos, Knuckles whispered the plan to Sonic.

After Sonic nodded, he walked over to Chaos. "Hey, fish-face! Wanna piece of me?"

Immediately, Chaos attacked, but Sonic dodged it. He ran circles around Chaos, causing it to get dizzy, and then the creature opened its mouth in an attempt to swallow Sonic. Then just before Chaos did, Knuckles activated the Freezer robot and threw it into Chaos' mouth. The monster swallowed the Freezer robot and then in a matter of seconds Chaos was completely frozen. In this time, Sonic and Knuckles attacked Chaos together with spin-dashes on one side and double punches on the other. As a result, Chaos shattered into multiple frozen fragments with the Chaos Emeralds flying off in multiple directions.

Dr. Eggman slammed his fist on the control panel of his Egg Mobile, which he used to watch the entire fight from a distance, and yelled, "Curse you, Sonic! You've ruined my plans once again, forcing me to take drastic measures!"

As he flew off, multiple robots appeared from hidden hatches and closed in on Sonic and Knuckles. Then a laser fired from a distance and shot down every single robot. Below the platform, Tails was riding inside _The Tornado_ which had now replaced its wings with mechanical legs and large guns that were firing lasers. He strode into the arena and then pressed a button which caused _The Tornado_ to change back into a plane.

"Tails, I didn't know your plane could transform," Knuckles said in awe.

"I told you I would let you be surprised," Tails responded. "Now let's get out of here before Dr. Eggman sends more robots after us."

"Where's Amy?" Sonic asked.

"Right here," Amy said, running towards them.

"I thought Tails picked you up," Sonic said as he got onto the plane's top-wing.

"I went to find Gamma, but he—

"Can we save the talking for later?" Knuckles interrupted, seating himself against the rudder.

As a new legion of robots closed in, Tails launched the plane into the air and flew it away from the Egg Carrier. Everyone hung on tightly as lasers fired all around them until they got below the clouds. Station Square stretched before them, and so Tails flew _The Tornado_ towards the seaside cliffs a few miles from town. He pressed a button, which caused a runway to emerge from a ledge that hung above the waves.

Amy's eyes widened. "You built that?"

"Yep, just in case I needed to land _The Tornado_ somewhere less conspicuous," Tails answered as he steered the plane onto the runway.

To be continued…


	22. Chapter 22: Chaos

Chapter 22: Chaos

A week had passed and neither Dr. Eggman nor Chaos resurfaced, leading Sonny and the others to believe that they had been defeated for good. While Biggs had miraculously managed to escape from the Egg Carrier and decided to become Amelia's friend, Chuck was busy trying to find Tia. He had found the last of the Master Emerald shards on the Egg Carrier and was planning to return to Angel Island, but Sonny insisted that Chuck should at least say goodbye to Tia before he left. Then one sunny day while Chuck was resting in the park, he had another dream where Tia was standing before the altar on Angel Island while fires were burning all around her with fallen warriors and the droplet-shaped creatures from the Mystic Ruins mosaic lying dead. She pleaded the Master Emerald to save her people, and then there was a bright flash of light.

A voice woke Chuck, and he found himself staring up at Tia's radiant face.

"Tia," Chuck said as he sat up from the park-bench. "I've been looking all over town for you."

"Same here," Tia responded. "I tried finding a home, but no one will talk to me or acknowledge my presence for that matter."

"So what have you been doing?"

"Living on the streets. It hasn't been that bad, but I do get cold and lonely."

"But you shouldn't have to live like that. Where are your parents?"

"I don't know. I've been living in various foster homes throughout my life, and then at the latest one I got in a bad fight and ran away."

"I see." Chuck rubbed the back of his neck for a few minutes and then he said, "Well, if you want, you could come live with me."

"That's very kind of you, Chuck, but I wouldn't want to impose on your friends."

"I'm not talking about living with my friends. My business in town is done, and I was going to head back to my real home."

"Where is it?"

"Ever heard of a place called Angel Island?"

Tia's eyes widened. "Isn't that the island that supposedly floated a long time ago?"

Chuck nodded. "Yep, that's the one, only…it really does float."

"So how would we get there?"

"I have my own way, but I'm kind of embarrassed to show you right here."

"What's it like? Angel Island, I mean."

"Well, it's got snowy mountains, jungles, a volcano, a desert, and some interesting ruins. There aren't very many animals, but there's plenty of tropical fruit and freshwater springs for sustenance. The temperature changes depending on which area you're in, but it doesn't get unbearably hot or too cold. So it's livable, though mostly quiet."

"That sounds nice," Tia noted. "Are there any other people?"

"Nope, just me."

"Then you must get pretty lonely up there."

"Sometimes, but I've gotten used to it."

"Is there a particular reason why you live on Angel Island all by yourself?"

"It's kind of a long story."

"I'm all ears."

Before Chuck answered, he noticed Sonny, Miles, and Amelia at a hot-dog stand near the edge of the park.

"My friends are over there," Chuck said to Tia. "Would you like to meet them?"

"Sure!" Tia smiled.

So Chuck took Tia's hand and they ran towards the hot-dog stand. When they got there, Chuck let go and blushed when he realized what he did. Then while Tia waited, Chuck walked up to Sonny and got his attention.

"Sonny," Chuck said boldly. "I managed to find Tia, and I'd like you to meet her."

"Oh, cool," Sonny responded, taking a bite out of the chili-dog he just ordered. "Where is she?"

"She's right over there," Chuck said, waving his hand in Tia's direction.

Sonny, Miles, and Amelia looked in the direction Chuck indicated, but they didn't react.

"Um, where exactly?" Sonny asked.

"Right there," Chuck insisted, pointing at Tia. "Don't you see her?"

"I don't see anyone," Miles said. "Are you sure you're pointing in the right direction?"

"Of course I'm sure," Chuck said as he motioned Tia to come over.

Once Tia stood in front of them, Sonny, Miles, and Amelia's eyes widened.

"Chuck," Amelia pointed nervously. "What's that weird glowing orb that's right next to you?"

Chuck looked at what Amelia was pointing at, but all he saw was Tia. "I don't know what you're talking about, but Tia's standing right in front of you guys and you're not noticing her!"

"Don't get angry, Chuck," Tia pleaded. "Not for my sake."

"Did you hear something?" Amelia said, looking around.

"Yeah, it sounded like a faint whisper," Sonny responded. "I think it came from that orb floating next to Chuck."

"If this is some kind of sick joke, it's not funny," Chuck growled.

But just as Chuck was about to walk away, Miles spoke up. "Wait, Chuck, I think I have an idea about what's going on. Tia, hold out your hand."

After a pause, Tia did as Miles asked and held her left hand out to Miles. Next, Miles tried to shake Tia's hand, but he touched nothing. Chuck watched and saw Miles' hand move right through Tia's. Miles then stared intensely at the orb that floated in front of him, and lowered his head.

"You said her name was Tia, right?" Miles said, turning to Chuck. "What's her last name?"

"Kale," Chuck answered. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just as I thought," Miles said to himself. Then he said to Chuck, "Two days ago, while I was looking up Tia on my computer to help you find her, I came across an article about a runaway teenage girl who died in a hit-and-run last week. That girl's name was Tia Kale and this is what she looks like."

Miles then pulled an iPhone out of his shirt-pocket and showed it to Chuck. The girl in the photograph looked exactly like Tia, only she wore a plain white T-shirt and bellbottom jeans. Stunned, Chuck glanced between the photo and Tia herself, who was shaking violently.

"Tia can't be a ghost," Chuck muttered. "I held her in my arms the first time we met, and she felt real."

"Maybe your mind tricked you into thinking that she was real when she really wasn't," Miles suggested.

"Yeah, but why does Chuck see her as a girl when we see her as a floating orb?" Sonny asked.

"That I don't know," Miles replied.

A sudden storm rolled in from the sea and brought heavy rainfall with it. While Sonny and the others ran for cover underneath the bus-stop, Chuck stood where he was watching Tia as she knelt on the ground moaning. Then a bright yellow aura appeared over Tia's head and enveloped her.

"Tia!" Chuck exclaimed, running towards her.

But by the time he got to her, Tia had disappeared. A loud gushing noise caught Chuck's attention, and he looked in the direction of the ocean. His eyes widened when he saw fire-hydrants and sewers erupting fountains of water, causing the streets to flood.

Immediately, Chuck ran over to the bus-stop where Sonny and the others were waiting and said, "We have to get to higher ground, guys! The city's flooding!"

Upon hearing that, the other people waiting at the bus-stop panicked and ran to the nearest buildings. Just as they did, a distant roar caught Sonny and the other's attention. Down the street, a large wave was coming in fast swallowing up cars and people alike.

"Uh, now might be a good time to transform," Sonny said and started concentrating.

"But Sonny, we're out in the open," Miles warned.

"We don't have time to worry about that, Miles!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Yeah, if we don't do it now we'll all die!" Chuck added.

Before the wave hit them, the four teens transformed. Afterwards, Tails picked up Sonic and they flew to the rooftop of the nearest two-story building. Meanwhile, Amy held onto Knuckles as he glided up toward the same building and climbed all the way up to the top. Once they were all on the roof, the four watched in horror as the city's streets flooded with water. Then the tallest building in Station Square fell apart as water filled it all the way up to the brim and from it emerged a terrifying creature with tendrils extending from its serpentine body and jaws full of sharp teeth that snapped frequently.

"Chaos," Knuckles said in surprise.

"He must've found all the Chaos Emeralds while we weren't looking and has now achieved his true form," Tails guessed.

"We've got to stop him," Sonic said firmly. "If he continues on this rampage, Station Square will be completely destroyed!"

"But how?" Amy asked. "That thing is huge, and if it has all the Chaos Emeralds then we don't stand a chance."

"Amy's right," Tails responded. "There's no way we can beat that monster with all the Chaos Emeralds inside it."

A couple of armed missiles flew in from the north and hit Chaos on the side. They exploded on the surface, but they didn't penetrate the creature's liquid body. Then the Egg Carrier appeared shortly after the missiles with its lower-deck turret guns pointed in Chaos' direction.

"Eggman," Sonic murmured. "Why is he attacking Chaos if they were working together?"

"I don't know," Tails said.

The turret-guns fired, but like the missiles they only scratched the surface. Chaos then extended its watery tendrils and wrapped them around the Egg Carrier. While the Egg Carrier tried to break free, the tendrils squeezed the ship tighter until it broke in half. As Chaos flung both halves into nearby buildings, a single hovering vehicle flew away.

"Well, I guess he made it out all right," Knuckles said. "That coward always has a back-up plan when things don't go his way."

The Egg Mobile managed to avoid the tendrils and then it sped right toward the building Sonic and his friends were standing on.

To be continued…


	23. Chapter 23: Peace

Chapter 23: Peace

"Get ready, guys," Sonic said. "We don't want to be thrown off-guard if Eggman attacks us."

While Amy summoned the Piko Hammer, Knuckles made the same metallic claws he used to fight against Chaos before appear.

"What are those things?" Sonic asked as he got into a running position.

"I found them during my search for the Master Emerald shards," Knuckles replied. "At first, I didn't know what they were, but then I remembered that they're called Shovel Claws. They were used by my tribe as weapons for fighting or tools for digging."

"Sounds good to me," Sonic replied.

The Egg Mobile landed, and Dr. Eggman stepped out with his hands raised.

"I'm not here to fight you, Sonic," Dr. Eggman insisted. "I just want to talk."

"Yeah, right," Sonic replied. "Isn't this what you wanted? To destroy Station Square so you could build Robuttnikland or something."

"Robotnikland, and yes that was the original plan, but Chaos betrayed me."

Sonic and his friends looked at each other in confusion.

"He went off and looked for the Chaos Emeralds without telling me, and then as soon as he found all of them Chaos left to destroy Station Square even though I didn't order him to," Eggman clenched his fists. "I should never have let a mindless creature like Chaos do all the dirty work for me."

"Chaos is not a mindless creature."

Sonic and his friends looked behind them where the voice was coming from while Dr. Eggman raised his eyebrows. It was Tia, but her pupils were slanted and she had a tail that was similar to Knuckles' in shape. She also wore a golden tiara with a bright-blue gem in the center around her forehead.

"Tia," Knuckles said in bewilderment.

"That is one of the many names I have been called," Tia replied solemnly. "My real name is Tikal, and I share a connection with Chaos that goes back to a distant time before the world was reformed."

"So you are a ghost?" Miles asked.

"In a way," Tikal replied. "A long time ago, I was the princess of an ancient tribe who sought to use the Master Emerald to gain absolute power. But in the process they harmed the Chao, who were harmless creatures that occupied Angel Island, which angered Chaos who was their protector. He then used the Chaos Emeralds to transform into the monster that you see and nearly destroyed the world as a result. But I intervened and sealed Chaos into the Master Emerald at the cost of my mortality. Then several centuries later, a mad scientist released Chaos from his imprisonment in order to use Chaos' destructive powers for his own purposes.

"However, Chaos did not obey and he would've destroyed the world if it hadn't been for the bravery of one blue hedgehog. I was released from the Master Emerald as well, and I showed the hedgehog and his friends images of the past so that they could stop Chaos in the present. Then after Chaos was defeated, his spirit and mine were at peace. The world itself was then destroyed and reformed, and a new Angel Island was formed when the tribe that Chuck is descended from used the Master Emerald to levitate a large piece of land to make a new home for themselves as the Mystic Ruins' resources ran dry. But after a while, the tribe's leader tried to use the Master Emerald to wage war on the other tribes.

"Angered, Chaos decided to teach the tribe leader a lesson, and used his true form to cause Angel Island to plummet into the ocean. So I sealed Chaos once more into the Master Emerald, and saved Angel Island's people. But instead of being sealed into the Master Emerald as well, I reincarnated for four thousand years into the bodies of young women who met tragic fates waiting for Chaos to return. Tia Kale was one such host, but she did not realize she was dead due to the suddenness of it and thus I did not awaken till she was aware."

"So the reason Chuck saw you as a girl instead of a floating orb is because you're from the same tribe I'm apart of," Knuckles said. "Where did Tia go after you woke up?"

"Her spirit passed on to the afterlife while I remained," Tikal answered. "My spirit will not rest until Chaos is defeated once more."

"Now this blue hedgehog that you mentioned," Sonic said adjusting his hair. "What did he use to defeat Chaos?"

"The Chaos Emeralds, of course," Tikal said. "They were originally powered by hatred, but the blue hedgehog and his friends demonstrated that the Emeralds could also be powered by friendship."

"But that doesn't really help us," Knuckles responded. "Chaos still has the Emeralds inside of him, and we have no means of getting them if Eggman's missiles couldn't even puncture his skin."

In the distance, Chaos suddenly roared and spat out seven objects that glimmered for a few seconds before fading out.

"He's used up all the energy the Chaos Emeralds could give him," Tikal said. "We must collect them all and restore their power quickly before he destroys the city."

"That's sounds like a plan to me," Sonic said, and leapt off the building in a spinning ball.

###

As Station Square continued to flood, Sonic and the others searched around the downtown area for the disregarded Chaos Emeralds. They managed to keep a safe distance from Chaos, who hadn't moved from the building he emerged from, and made themselves less noticeable by splitting into three teams: one team consisted of Sonic and Tails, the second was Knuckles and Dr. Eggman, and the third Amy and Tikal. While Sonic and Tails managed to find two Emeralds pretty quickly, Dr. Eggman attempted to sneak off with the two Emeralds he found until Knuckles threatened to beat him up. Amy and Tikal, on the other hand, weren't having much luck until Big the Cat sporadically showed up and with his help they managed to obtain three. Afterwards, they rendezvoused at a freeway that was close to Chaos but far enough to where he couldn't see them. There, all three teams presented the Chaos Emeralds which were now dull in color and not glowing like before.

"Now in order for this to work, I will need all of you to close your eyes and concentrate all your thoughts on the Chaos Emeralds you have," Tikal commanded. "With enough positive thinking, the Chaos Emeralds should be restored to their proper forms."

So Sonic and his friends did what Tikal told them to do, including Dr. Eggman. Several minutes passed, but nothing happened. Then Tikal started to murmur a prayer.

While it didn't do anything special, the prayer seemed to encourage everyone to concentrate harder. Then in a few moments, the Chaos Emeralds glowed brightly and levitated from the hands of those who held them. The Emeralds circled around Sonic and was then transformed into his Super Sonic form. He flew towards Chaos and penetrated right into the monster's chest. Next, he made his way up through Chaos' head from the inside and popped out from it at top speeds. This in turn caused Chaos to explode and disintegrate into droplets that fell into the water below. But then Chaos reformed itself and the pattern started again.

After one more attack, Chaos disintegrated permanently. Then just when Sonic's friends cheered and Dr. Eggman smirked, Chaos appeared before them in the form that Sonic and Knuckles first encountered. Sonic flew down and blocked Chaos, but Tikal ran around him.

"It's all right, Sonic," Tikal assured. "His anger is gone and he wants to speak to me."

"How do you know that?" Sonic asked.

"I share a connection with Chaos. Remember?"

Reluctantly, Sonic changed back into his regular form while the Chaos Emeralds still circled around him. Tikal then walked over to Chaos, who was about her height now, and spoke to him. Sonic was too far away to hear exactly what Tikal was saying, but he got the impression that she was relieved. Above them, the clouds parted and a single shaft of sunlight illuminated the two. Chaos' skin shimmered in the light, while Tikal was barely visible.

"History may have repeated itself here," Tikal said, loud enough for Sonic and the others to hear. "But I hope this will be the last time it does."

"We'll make sure of that," Sonic responded, and turned to his friends. "Right, guys?"

"Yeah!" Amy and Big shouted.

"Right," Knuckles nodded.

"I guess I'll try not to destroy the world in the near future again," Dr. Eggman said wearily.

"Thank you all, especially you, Knuckles," Tikal said as she and Chaos grew fainter. "You showed kindness to Tia when no one else would, and allowed her soul to rest in peace."

Then as the clouds completely cleared up, Tikal and Chaos vanished with them. After a brief pause, Dr. Eggman summoned his Egg Mobile, got into it, and flew off before Sonic and the others could stop him. But they didn't give chase, and waited till he was far away to transform back into their regular selves. The only one who didn't change was Knuckles, which surprised the others.

"What's wrong, Knuckles?" Sonny asked.

"It's nothing," Knuckles replied quietly. "I'm going home to restore the Master Emerald now."

Before the others could stop him, Knuckles glided up toward the nearest building that faced the sea and climbed it.

"Knuckles, wait!" Sonny shouted, and was about to transform again when Amelia pinched his shoulders.

"Let him go, Sonny," Amelia said firmly. "He wants to be left alone right now."

"All right, but you didn't have to pinch me," Sonny replied, rubbing his shoulders.

"So what do we do now?" Biggs asked.

"Wait till the rescue crews arrive, I guess," Miles said. "There's not much we can do unless we want to transform again and risk being seen."

"Miles, you worry too much," Sonny said. "Besides, these Emeralds aren't going to hide themselves."

Sonny then transformed into Super Sonic and levitated several feet into the air. Once he was above the tallest buildings, Sonic made the seven Chaos Emeralds appear around him. Next, he raised his hands and flung them outward, causing the Chaos Emeralds to fly off in different directions till they could no longer be seen. Then just after Sonic changed back, a rescue helicopter appeared in the distance and flew quickly towards him and his friends.

###

Several miles away across the ocean, Angel Island was crawling with G. U. N. soldiers. Unfortunately, they were too busy dealing with the traps Knuckles had set up prior to leaving to notice him as he glided to the altar. There, he took out all the shards he had collected and placed them at the foot of the broken Master Emerald. Then Knuckles raised his hands and repeated the prayer Tikal was muttering when they were restoring power to the Chaos Emeralds.

"The servers are the seven Chaos.

Chaos is power,

power enriched by the heart.

The heart is the controller.

The controller serves to unify the chaos."

As soon as the prayer was spoken, the shards glowed and floated into place, creating a complete Master Emerald. Next, the Master Emerald shined brightly, and a familiar rumble trembled beneath Knuckles' feet. The G. U. N. soldiers that were stationed there immediately felt the tremors and quickly got into the helicopters that brought them there. While they flew away, Angel Island rose out of the ocean and into the sky once more. After the island stopped above the clouds, Knuckles changed back into Chuck who then sat on the steps of the altar and cried silently to himself.

To be continued…


	24. Chapter 24: Vacation

Chapter 24: Vacation

With Station Square practically submerged as a result of Chaos' attack, Sonny and his friends were forced to live in Central City which was a few miles north of the Mystic Ruins and attend school there. In the three months that followed, Biggs was forced to drop-out due to his extremely low grades though he and Amelia still kept in touch. But other than that, nothing major happened as Dr. Eggman seemed to be still recovering from his losses. Rouge Baxter was still around as well, and she used every opportunity to try acquainting herself with Sonny. But each time she tried, Amelia would be there to stop her.

"I wish you'd stop hassling me, pinkie," Rouge said to Amelia on the last day of school before Winter Break started. "It's getting tiresome."

"Well I would if you would leave Sonny alone," Amelia snapped. "What do you want from him?"

"Nothing, sweetie. I just want to be friends with him."

"Sure you do. I've seen what you do to men, and you're not going to do the same to Sonny!"

"You like him a lot, don't you?"

Amelia blushed. "Well, I…"

"I thought so."

Then as Rouge walked away, Amelia gritted her teeth. She quickly went to her locker, grabbed her things, and waited near the front entrance for Sonny and Miles. Outside, the front lawn was covered in snow and the sky was overcast in heavy gray clouds.

"Amelia!" Miles shouted as he walked toward the main entrance.

"Miles," Amelia responded. "Where's Sonny?"

"He went to talk to Rouge for a minute."

"He did what?" Amelia's fists were clenched.

Miles noticed and asked, "Is something wrong, Amelia?"

"Nothing, Miles," Amelia said, trying to relax her hands. "It's just that…I don't like Rouge and the fact that she constantly tries to talk to Sonny when I'm not looking bothers me."

"Because you're worried that she'll steal Sonny's heart and leave you all alone."

"Partially, yes, but I'm mainly concerned with Sonny. He's too naïve to understand that Rouge is a flirt. She toys with men's hearts for her own amusement and then breaks them when she's through."

"I don't think Sonny's that dense," Miles replied. "And just because Rouge wants to talk to Sonny doesn't mean she's interested in him romantically."

"Yeah, I guess so," Amelia sighed.

A few minutes later, Sonny showed up at the main entrance with Rouge following behind him.

"Hey, guys," Sonny said. "I asked Rouge if she would like to come with us to South Island for the holidays, and she said 'yes' since her father is going to be pretty busy. What you say?"

"I'm fine with it," Miles said.

"I, uh," Amelia hesitated, looking between Sonny and Rouge. Then she slumped her shoulders. "Sure."

"Then it's settled," Rouge said gleefully. "A vacation in the tropics sure beats staying up here where it's cold and miserable."

While the boys nodded, Amelia looked down at her pink snow boots.

Rouge noticed and sporadically embraced Amelia. "Oh, cheer up, pinkie. It's only going to be for two weeks. What could possibly happen in that amount of time?"

###

One plane ride later, Sonny and the others arrived on South Island after the sun had gone down. The airport was located on a high mesa near the town, and fairly small despite the large number of people that arrived. At the gate, Amelia and Miles' mothers greeted them with a shower of hugs and kisses. Chuck was there too, though he seemed sadder than before.

"Hey, man," Sonny said, patting Chuck on the back as he hugged him briefly. "It's good to see you. How have you been?"

"Fine," Chuck replied quietly.

"Are you still not over—

"I don't want to talk about it," Chuck snapped, and noticed Rouge bringing up the rear with her white and pink-colored luggage. "Who's this?"

"The name's Rouge," Rouge said as she held out her hand to Chuck. "Rouge Baxter, and you are?"

"Chuck Kidman," Chuck responded as he shook Rouge's hand reluctantly. "I've been friends with Sonny since middle school."

"I see," Rouge said as she lowered one of her bags next to her suitcase. "Now will you be a dear and help me carry my luggage?"

"Since when did I become your luggage carrier?"

"Humph! Some friend you are."

"All right, fine, I'll help you." Chuck then lifted Rouge's two bags onto his shoulders and picked up her suitcase.

"I wonder where my parents are," Sonny wondered out loud as he turned his phone on. A text message was waiting for him in the inbox, and so he opened it. After he read the message, Sonny groaned.

"What's wrong?" Miles asked.

"Something came up, and so my parents won't be able to come to South Island for the holidays," Sonny replied irritably. "This happens almost every year."

"Don't get upset, Sonny. Why don't you stay at my place for Christmas and New Year's?" Miles then noticed his mom was still standing next to him. "If that's okay with you, Mom."

"Of course," Miles' mom replied.

"Miles," Sonny said quietly.

"So where am I staying?" Rouge abruptly asked.

"You'll be staying with me," Amelia said as she locked arms with Rouge. "Mom wouldn't mind the extra company, right?"

"I'd be delighted," Amelia's mother said cheerfully. "I'm sure you must have some very interesting stories to tell, Rouge, being from the mainland and all."

Rouge hesitated. "Well, I—

"Then it's settled," Amelia stated, and dragged Rouge with her out into the parking-lot which was lit by a few lamps against a starry night sky.

While Sonny and Miles went to put their belongings in the trunk of Miles' mother's car, Chuck managed to drag Rouge's luggage all the way to where Amelia's mom's car was and dropped them all at the foot of the trunk.

"I appreciate that you carried my luggage for me," Rouge said folding her arms. "But I didn't say you could drop them like bricks in front of the trunk. Now I'll have to pick them all up."

"Then do that," Chuck said wearily. "I'm out of here."

"But Chuck," Amelia responded. "We were all going to get pizza downtown for dinner. Don't you want to join us?"

Chuck hesitated. "Maybe some other time, but I've got more important things to worry about."

As Chuck walked into the darkness, Amelia groaned irritably.

"Is he always like that?" Rouge asked.

"No, he's just upset because…" Amelia paused. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," Rouge replied.

"There was a girl he liked, but she left before he could tell her his feelings."

"Can't he just call her?"

"He never got her number, and even if he did he wouldn't be able to reach her."

"I see," Rouge said as she picked up her luggage and put it into the trunk of the car. "So Chuck is…available, then?"

This comment surprised Amelia, but then she smirked as an idea came to her head. "Yeah, I guess he is."

The two then got into the backseat while Amelia's mom took the driver's seat. As the car drove out of the parking-lot and onto the road that led into town, Miles' mom's car followed behind them. Above the trees, Knuckles was gliding on the wind towards Angel Island to continue protecting the Master Emerald. When he looked down, he saw the two cars and there was a part of him that wanted to follow. But Knuckles shook his head and continued on out to sea.

To be continued…


	25. Chapter 25: Meetings

Chapter 25: Meetings

Early the next morning, Sonny decided to take a run around South Island in his Sonic Phase. He passed through familiar places such as the lake with the loop-the-loop structure, the G. U. N. base which was still occupied, and the volcano. However, one new feature was that the hidden elevator to Dr. Eggman's underground base was exposed revealing the hidden passageway beneath. Cautiously, Sonny jumped down and walked down the hallway expecting robots to attack him from all sides.

But when none came, he was puzzled. Then he ran through every part of the base until Sonny heard voices coming from one particular room located underneath the control room where he met Dr. Eggman for the first time. It was a laboratory with metal parts scattered all over the floor and wires coming from the ceiling into a glass tube that had been broken open. At a computer near the tube stood three familiar figures that Sonny recognized.

"Hey, Chaotix Detectives," Sonny shouted. "What brings you down here?"

"Sonny!" The three exclaimed as they turned away from the computer towards Sonny.

"We missed you," Charles said running over to Sonny and giving him a big hug. He was a little taller than before, but otherwise he looked the same as when Sonny first met him.

"Chuck told us you would be coming here for the holidays, but I never expected we'd meet again in a place like this," Victor said with a shorter haircut but wearing the same clothes as before.

"That doesn't answer his question, Victor," Espen responded while he was seated at the computer. Like Victor, he also wore the same clothes but he had grown a few inches taller.

"Oh, sorry," Victor replied rubbing the back of his neck. "You just caught us in the middle of a private investigation."

"What kind?" Sonny asked.

"G. U. N. hired us to figure out what happened here regarding a massacre that occurred right before Angel Island floated away," Charles answered.

"Charles, we're not supposed to tell anyone that," Espen scolded.

"But Sonny's our friend," Charles complained. "Shouldn't he have the right to know?"

Espen sighed. "I suppose, considering this is about Metal Sonic."

"Metal Sonic?" Sonny exclaimed. "You mean that metal lookalike of me that knocked out Chuck when Dr. Eggman kidnapped him and took him to Angel Island?"

"The same," Espen replied. "According to the encrypted files on this computer, Dr. Eggman had been collecting data on Sonic's fighting moves and abilities from the images his robots recorded before they were destroyed by Sonic. Then he constructed Metal Sonic in this laboratory and placed him inside the glass tube to not only give the robot energy but also Sonic's data. Originally, Dr. Eggman was going to activate Metal Sonic after you brought Chaos Emeralds to him, but you defeated him before he could."

"So how did Metal Sonic get out of the tube?" Sonny asked, looking at the broken glass door.

"Our theory is that Dr. Eggman must have hidden some kind of device on him when G. U. N. took him to their prison that activated Metal Sonic from a distance," Vector said. "Then from there, Metal Sonic broke out of the tube and killed all the G. U. N. soldiers that were stationed here to investigate Dr. Eggman's base before busting Dr. Eggman out of prison."

"Oh, man," Sonny said looking at the traces of dried blood near the door to the laboratory. "If I'd have known Dr. Eggman had something that dangerous locked in here, I would've destroyed his entire base before turning him in."

"That would've been a foolish decision," Espen responded. "The destruction of this base could've triggered the volcano to erupt and bury South Island completely in lava, which would've killed everyone in the process."

"But that didn't happen, and that's what matters, right?" Charles said abruptly.

Before Sonny answered, his cellphone suddenly started to ring and so he picked it up. "Hello?"

" _Hey, Sonny_."

"Rouge!" Sonny exclaimed, getting the Chaotix Detectives' attention. "How did you get my number?"

" _From Amelia, of course_ ," Rouge replied." _She's really sweet once you get to know her_."

Sonny paused. "What do you want?"

" _I was just about to go down to the beach to catch some rays and wondered if you would like to come_."

"Is anyone else coming?"

" _Oh, sure. Amelia and Miles will be there, and I think that Chuck fellow will be coming too._ "

"All right, I'll be there."

" _See you later, Big Blue._ "

Then Sonny hung up. "Big Blue?"

"Who was that?" Espen asked. "Your girlfriend?"

"Um, no," Sonny said hesitantly. "Rouge is just a friend from the high school I attend on the mainland who's spending the holidays with us."

"I see," Victor grinned. "What did she say?"

"She wants to meet me at the beach, and I guess the others are coming as well."

Charles' face lit up. "Can we go too?"

"Uh, sure," Sonny replied. "I'll see you later, then."

After Sonny left, the Chaotix Detectives pondered while they continued working.

"Hey, Espen," Victor said getting Espen's attention. "Did you notice how embarrassed Sonny got when you assumed Rouge was his girlfriend? I think he likes her."

"Or he could be telling the truth and she really is just a friend," Espen replied.

"Then why would she ask Sonny to meet her at the beach?" Charles asked.

"Weren't you listening?" Espen frowned. "Sonny said 'the others' were going there too, and by that he was obviously referring to Amelia, Miles, and Chuck. So it's going to be nothing more than a beach party of sorts."

"Or that's what Sonny wants us to think to cover up that he's really meeting Rouge to spend time with her alone," Victor said. "But let's go anyway just to be sure I'm right."

While Espen groaned in response, Charles just giggled. "This should be fun."

###

At the same beach where Sonic and Tails received the walkie-talkie from Dr. Eggman, Sonny arrived promptly wearing his blue swim-trunks and sandals though he wasn't planning on swimming due to Sonic's fear of water which he felt very strongly within him. He found Rouge lying underneath a pink and white beach umbrella wearing a white two-piece bathing suit that made her cleavage stand out. She opened one eye when Sonny approached her.

"Where are the others?" Sonny asked, looking around.

"They'll be here," Rouge replied casually. "Care to sit next to me?"

"Sure," Sonny said, and laid out his towel next to Rouge's. "So, um, why did you call me 'Big Blue'?"

Rouge shrugged. "I don't know. Must've been a slip of the tongue."

"I can relate," Sonny said as he sat down. "Do you like South Island so far?"

"It's nice, but not somewhere I'd want to stay at for too long. I imagine it must've been pretty boring here until Dr. Robotnik showed up."

"Well, I had only just arrived at the time, so it's hard to say."

Rouge's eyes widened. "Oh, my, that must've been shocking for you. Did your parents know?"

Sonny shook his head. "I didn't want to worry them, so I said nothing about it. Besides, if Dr. Robotnik shows up again The Blue Blur will be there to stop him."

"Ah, yes, The Blue Blur," Rouge smirked as she got up onto her knees and looked directly at Sonny. "Though G. U. N. still hasn't figured out what it is, he's become quite a hero ever since he saved Station Square from total destruction. Did you know that there's a Blue Blur Fan Club at our school?"

Sonny shied away from Rouge's gaze and looked out towards the ocean. "Yeah, but I haven't bothered to check it out."

"You should when the new semester starts. I've heard most of the members are cute girls with rich parents."

"Oh, well in that case, maybe I shouldn't join."

"You think Amelia would get jealous if you did?"

"Probably, but I just think it would be awkward being one of few guys in a room full of girls."

"So what do you think of The Blue Blur?" Rouge asked as she put her hands gently on Sonny's shoulders. "Do you think he's a person, or a freak of nature?"

"I…" Sonny tensed up when Rouge touched him, but he didn't move. "…don't have much of an opinion on him."

Rouge chuckled. "But you just said that The Blue Blur will show up if Dr. Robotnik does, which means that either you have a lot of faith in the guy or you know him."

"K-Know him? That's a pretty ridiculous assumption, Rouge," Sonny said as he tried to get out of Rouge's grasp, but she held him tightly and leaned her head against his neck.

"Is it? Where were you when Station Square was flooding?"

Before Sonny could answer, a distant voice shouted, "Sonny!"

In response, Sonny got up and saw Amelia, Miles, and Chuck running down the beach towards them followed by Victor, Charles, and Espen who were all wearing swim clothes. They were also carrying towels, beach umbrellas, and coolers. Because of Sonny's sudden action, Rouge fell forward but managed to catch herself before landing on the line of sand that lay between her towel and Sonny's. Then she got up as well and stood next to Sonny with one hand on her hip.

"Sonny, we were looking all over for you and then…" Amelia noticed Rouge and frowned. "Was I interrupting something?"

"Nothing, darling, just a friendly little chat to pass the time," Rouge said walking away from Sonny. Then she noticed Victor, Charles, and Espen. "Are they friends of yours?"

"We're known around these parts as the Chaotix Detectives, Miss Rouge," Victor said confidently. "I'm Victor Croc and my two associates are Charles Bee and Espen Camellia."

In response, Rouge smiled. "Well I guess you must be a detective if you were able to figure out my name even though we've just met."

"It wasn't that hard," Victor responded. "Amelia was telling us about you on the way here and so I guessed based on the descriptions she gave me."

"Oh, I see," Rouge mused as she picked up a pink and white volleyball that was next to her beach umbrella. "Now that we're all here, who's up for a game of beach volleyball?"

To be continued…


	26. Chapter 26: Recognition

Chapter 26: Recognition

A few hours later, Sonny and his friends decided to meet Miles' and Amelia's parents downtown with Rouge tagging along. Meanwhile, the Chaotix Detectives went back to Eggman's base to continue their investigation and Chuck made his second attempt to get back to Angel Island. He wasn't able to the night before due to a sudden shift in the wind currents that made it difficult for him to glide all the way up there as Knuckles which forced him to turn back to South Island. After spending the night in the Chaotix Detectives' house, Chuck ran into Amelia and Miles by chance as they were heading for the beach and they asked him to join. Originally, he declined but after Amelia insisted, Chuck gave in and followed them.

The downtown area was small, but surprisingly packed as people were out shopping and/or dining in the various restaurants scattered down the main street. On the way there, Sonny and his friends walked by the South Island Middle School building which brought back many memories: first, there was the track/football field where Sonny had first activated the Sonic Phase that led to his eventual transformation into Sonic the Hedgehog when Dr. Eggman sent robots to attack the school; then there was the rooftop of the school building where Sonny and his friends had lunch together, and finally the gymnasium where Sonny and Miles saw Chuck demonstrate what he called the Knuckles Knockout against Nack Wesley during the final match of the South Island School Boxing Challenge.

"I wonder what happened to Zak, Zaz, and Zom," Sonny muttered out loud.

Miles flinched. "What brought that up?"

"I don't know," Sonny replied. "Seeing the old school building suddenly made me think about them."

"Well, they did try bullying me again after you and Amelia left but then this strange old man named Zik showed up. He seemed interested in Zak, Zaz, and Zom as he offered them to join his 'organization' in exchange for great power. Then after that, I never saw them again."

"That's weird," Amelia responded. "I wonder what the old man saw in those guys."

Miles shook his head. "I'm not sure, but at least I didn't have to deal with those three again."

"It seems there's more to South Island than I thought," Rouge said bemused. "First a mad scientist shows up with an army of robots and then an organized crime-boss comes to recruit some middle-school kids."

"What makes you think the old man was a crime-boss?" Miles asked.

"Don't be so naïve, kiddo," Rouge said. "If this old man was as shady as you claim, then he was probably using 'organization' as a euphemism for a gang or organized criminal group."

"I suppose," Miles replied.

"So what did you think of Chuck?" Amelia abruptly said.

Taken aback, Rouge asked, "Um, why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering," Amelia smirked.

After a brief hesitation, Rouge answered, "Well, he comes off as a short-tempered guy with no manners or brains but I do find his rugged loner vibe kind of attractive."

"Oh, I see."

"But Chuck's not the type of guy I would want to date anyway."

"Then what is?"

"I'd like someone who is good-looking, mysterious, and exciting to be with."

As the four approached the downtown area, Sonny noticed a familiar face walking towards them.

"Ms. Hare," Sonny said, getting the woman's attention.

"Sonny," Ms. Hare replied with a smile. She looked the same as she did three years ago, only her hair was longer. "Are you visiting for the holidays?"

"Well, I was supposed to meet my parents here, but they couldn't make it," Sonny answered with slight embarrassment.

"Oh, that's too bad. So where are you staying?"

"With Miles."

Ms. Hare looked at Miles. "Ah, yes, I remember you. You were the one who brought Sonny in while he was unconscious when Dr. Robotnik attacked the island."

"Yep, that was me," Miles said scratching the back of his head.

"And Amelia," Ms. Hare said turning to Amelia. "You've grown into quite a beautiful young lady."

"Why thank you, Ms. Hare," Amelia said blushing slightly.

Then Ms. Hare noticed Rouge and looked perplexed. "Were you in any of my classes? I can't remember."

"This is Rouge," Sonny said. "She's a classmate of ours from Station Square."

"The city that got flooded recently?" Ms. Hare gasped. "That must've been dreadful. Where are you attending school now?"

"In Central City, which is north from Station Square," Sonny answered. "So how have you been, Ms. Hare?"

"Oh, fine." Then Ms. Hare's eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder. "But first I would like you to meet someone."

Ms. Hare stepped aside to reveal a small girl with long chestnut-brown pigtails done in an upward direction wearing an orange dress with a blue ribbon and matching orange clogs.

"I would like you to meet my daughter Crème," Ms. Hare said. "Crème, this is Sonny, a former student of mine, and his friends."

"Hi!" Sonny and the others said cheerfully.

"Hello," Crème said quietly.

"What's that you got there?" Amelia said, pointing to a strange creature that was resting on Crème's back.

Crème looked behind her and pulled the creature off her back, revealing it to be some kind of stuffed animal with stumpy legs, a pudgy body, teddy-bear-like hands, a droplet-shaped head, a red bowtie around its neck, and small pixie wings.

"This is my best friend Cheese," Crème answered, showing the creature to Sonny and the others. "He's a Chao."

Sonny and the others looked at each other.

"Ah, what's a Chao?" Amelia said trying to hide her surprise.

"Tiny creatures that sing and play all day in hidden gardens," Crème answered with a straight face. "They're very friendly to animals and people, but they can easily get hurt."

"That's very interesting," Miles responded. Then he asked hesitantly, "Where did you find Cheese?"

"In a small grove on the island," Crème replied. "Near the lake."

"Were there other Chao as well?"

"Oh, yes! They all look like Cheese, but I gave him a bow-tie to make him stand out."

"I see."

"Well, we had best be heading on home," Ms. Hare said and took a hold of Crème's hand. "It was nice seeing you again, Sonny."

"Yeah, same here," Sonny replied.

As Ms. Hare walked away, Crème looked over her shoulder and said, "It was nice to meet you, Sonic—I mean, Sonny. Bye!"

Sonny initially flinched, but then he pretended to smile and politely waved at Crème as she and her mother disappeared around the corner.

" _Are you thinking what I_ _'_ _m thinking?_ " Sonny whispered to Miles.

" _Yeah, I think she_ _'_ _s possessed by one of the_ _'_ _spirits_ _'_ _Sonic knows,_ " Miles replied quietly. " _But I_ _'_ _m more interested in that garden_ _Cr_ _è_ _me_ _was talking about. Didn_ _'_ _t Tikal mention the Chao before she left?_ "

" _She did, but they must_ _'_ _ve been wiped out when the planet was destroyed and reformed. So how are they still around?_ "

"What are you boys whispering about?" Rouge asked.

"Uh, nothing, Rouge," Amelia said dismissively. "It's not important."

In response, Rouge folded her arms. "Now I know you're hiding something. Why else did that girl call you 'Sonic'? It couldn't have been accidental."

Before Sonny could come up with an excuse, his stomach made a sudden gurgling noise.

"Um, can we talk about this over dinner? I'm starving," Sonny said sheepishly.

Amelia and Miles nodded in agreement, and so Sonic took off down the street with his friends following behind him. Meanwhile, Rouge tried to keep up with them but the heeled sandals she wore made it difficult. So she resorted to walking, but kept a constant eye on Sonny and his friends as she called someone on her cellphone.

To be continued…


	27. Chapter 27: Garden

Chapter 27: Garden

The following day, Sonny and his friends decided to explore near the lake to find the Chao Garden Crème had mentioned. Rouge came along as well, though she didn't come prepared. While the others wore T-shirts, shorts, and hiking boots, Rouge was sporting a pink sundress with lacy heeled sandals.

"How much further do we have to go?" Rouge asked for the second time since they started. "My sandals are killing me."

"Then maybe you should've stayed back at the house if you're so worried about your precious sandals," Amelia replied in an irritated tone of voice.

"Relax, Amelia," Sonny said. "I'm sure we'll find the garden soon enough."

"That's what you said earlier today!" Amelia snapped. "We've been walking around this lake for several hours for any signs of a Chao Garden and so far there's been no sign of one!"

"Maybe we need to take a break," Miles offered wearily.

"Sounds like a good idea," Sonny agreed.

Picking a spot at the edge of the lake, the four set themselves on a cluster of rocks and shared the power bars and water bottles that were in Sonny's backpack between them.

"What time is it?" Amelia asked.

"A few minutes past noon," Miles stated, looking at his wristwatch.

Rouge groaned in response.

Sonny took a large gulp from his water bottle and said, "Maybe after we've rested we should call it day."

"Just because Rouge is tired?" Amelia said. "It was her fault for not wearing the proper clothes and shoes in the first place."

"Why are you so hard on Rouge?" Sonny snapped.

"Why do you seem to care more about her than me?" Amelia snapped back.

"Hey, guys, look!" Miles suddenly exclaimed, pointing towards the forest behind them.

From it emerged Cheese, only he was actually flying. He circled around Sonny and the others' heads for a few seconds and then he pointed his arm toward the forest. After saying, 'Chao!' several times Cheese flew back toward the forest.

"What the heck did that thing say?" Rouge asked.

"I think he wants us to follow," Miles said, and took off after the flying Chao.

The others followed Miles' lead, though Rouge fell behind.

They eventually came into a secluded area consisting of a small pond with clear water running from a tiny spring and several small palm trees. Flying all around and bathing in the pond were dozens of Chao that did indeed look exactly like Cheese only without the signature red bow-tie he sported. Then near the palm trees, a group of Chao were surrounding Crème who was talking cheerfully to each of them in turn. Cheese then flew up to her and pointed his stubby hand toward Sonny and his friends. Initially, Crème was surprised but then she got up and walked over to them.

"Hi, guys, welcome to the Chao Garden!" Crème smiled. "I figured you would come by sooner or later."

"Um, you did?" Sonny asked out loud.

"Of course," Crème replied. "You were going to ask me about why I called you 'Sonic' instead of 'Sonny,' right?"

Sonny scratched his head for a moment before answering. "We actually came up here to see if the Chao Garden you mentioned was real or not."

"But it wouldn't hurt to know why you confused Sonny's name for someone else's," Rouge said as she stumbled into the Garden. After catching her breath, she said, "I'm a little curious about that."

"Allow me to explain," Crème said giddily. "You see, I have a friend named Cream who told me that there are others who have friends of hers within them and she thinks you, Sonny, have one called 'Sonic' inside you."

"Oh, I see," Sonny replied nervously.

Rouge shook her head. "I didn't understand a word you said, honey. Do you know what she's talking about, Sonny?"

"Um, maybe we should be getting back to town," Amelia said taking ahold of Rouge's hand. "It's getting late and I'm sure you're exhausted from all that walking, Rouge."

While Amelia tried to pull Rouge away from the Chao Garden, Rouge hesitated.

"I'm not leaving until I get some answers," Rouge said releasing her hand from Amelia's grasp. "You guys seem to know something that I don't, otherwise you wouldn't be trying to shove me out."

"She's got you there, Amelia," Miles said.

"Shut up, Miles!" Amelia snapped.

"Maybe it would help if I introduce you to Cream," Crème offered and closed her eyes.

Before Sonny or the others could protest, a yellowish-white aura surrounded Crème. The light was so blinding that everyone had to cover their eyes slightly, then when it was over, everyone was surprised including Rouge. In Crème's place stood a girl with the same dress, shoes, and hair, but with white gloves, long cream-colored rabbit ears instead of pigtails and a matching cottontail.

She opened her eyes, which were hazel-colored like Crème's only the pupils were narrower, while Cheese cried for joy and circled around her. In response, the girl with the rabbit ears giggled with delight and caught Cheese in her hands. The two spun around for a little while, until the girl noticed Sonny and the others stare at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl with the rabbit ears responded nervously. "I didn't see you there. My name is Cream the Rabbit, and I was told that my friends would be here. Do you know where they are?"

Sonny looked at Miles, who nodded. Then he turned to Rouge, who was blinking rapidly as she gazed at Cream, and walked up to her. Next, Sonny put a hand on Rouge's bare shoulder and said, "I know how you're feeling, Rouge. You're confused and baffled by what you see, because there's no rational explanation for it, but you don't need to be."

"How can you say that?" Rouge said nervously. "There's a garden full of strange creatures that have never been seen by anyone until now, and there's a little girl standing a few feet from me with rabbit ears!"

"Take it easy," Sonny said reassuringly. "It's just that—

"Maybe I should explain everything to her," Amelia said abruptly. "It's the least I could do for being hard on her this whole trip."

"All right, but make it quick," Sonny said. "We don't want Cream to wait too long for her 'friends.'"

Amelia nodded, and then she took Rouge to a spot by the palm trees. Once they comfortable, Amelia explained everything to Rouge about Sonic, Dr. Eggman, and the other spirits that seemed to be occupying the bodies of certain individuals. She also briefly described the various adventures they had including what happened on Angel Island and at Station Square. All of this Rouge listened attentively to while adjusting her white wristwatch occasionally.

Then once Amelia's explanation was done, she said, "Now, Sonny, Miles, and I are about to transform into our respective spirits so we can see if Cream really is a friend of theirs. You're free to watch now that you know our secret, but if you don't want to get any more involved you can leave."

"I'll be fine," Rouge said with a calm face. "Nothing should surprise me anymore."

Satisfied, Amelia walked back over to Sonny and Miles. They all closed their eyes and let themselves be enveloped by their respective auras which were pink, blue, and yellow. During this time, Cream was transfixed by the light that emanated from the auras while Rouge reached into her bra and pulled out a miniature camera. She snapped a few quick shots of Sonny and his friends as they transformed, then stopped once Sonic and his friends Amy and Tails were awake.

"Cream!" Amy said and ran towards the rabbit-eared girl.

"Amy!" Cream replied and glided into Amy's arms with her ears flapping up and down.

Sonic and Tails then joined Amy in a group hug with Cream at the center who smiled at each of them.

"I was so scared," Cream said with tears in her eyes. "I never thought I would see you guys again."

"Well, we're here now," Sonic replied. "And that's what matters."

"But why do you look so different?" Cream asked as the group-hug broke up.

"We're not sure either, Cream," Tails said embarrassingly. "Our memories are kind of fuzzy."

"So are mine," Cream exclaimed. "The last thing I remember was seeing that…scary shadow and then everything went dark. I don't know what happened after that."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Amy said. "We'll figure it all out eventually. Right, Sonic?"

"Is that Knuckles?" Sonic said, looking up at the sky with sudden interest.

Everyone looked in Sonic's direction, and there was something that glided steadily down towards them. Once it got close enough to the Garden, Sonic and his friends could clearly see that it was Knuckles while Rouge seemed confused and mesmerized by him. After he landed, Knuckles immediately walked up to Sonic with a serious frown on his face.

"Knuckles," Sonic said with mild surprise. "I thought you'd gone back to Angel Island."

"I did yesterday," Knuckles replied. "But then I got attacked by Dr. Eggman. He was after the Master Emerald again, but I managed to fend him off. However, just as he left, Dr. Eggman said he was going to look for the Chaos Emeralds before claiming the Master Emerald."

"So why did you decide to warn me now?"

"This morning I woke up to the sound of the Egg Carrier flying overhead in the direction of South Island, and so I immediately left to warn you."

"Then he's probably found most of the Chaos Emeralds," Tails speculated. "But considering that it's past noon, we would've seen Dr. Eggman's robots searching the island by now."

As if on cue, a legion of robots suddenly flew overhead. The Chao were immediately frightened and hid in the underbrush surrounding the Garden. While Cream went off to comfort them, Rouge stood up and walked over to Sonic and his friends.

"I guess I spoke too soon," Tails said sheepishly.

"All right, we've got to stop Dr. Eggman from finding those last Chaos Emeralds before G. U. N. gets involved," Sonic said. "Knuckles and Amy, you go after the robots. Tails, you'll be in charge of finding the Egg Carrier. Meanwhile, I'll keep G. U. N. distracted for as long as possible. Cream, you stay here and protect the Chao, okay?"

"Got it!" Cream replied.

"What about me?" Rouge asked, getting Sonic and the other's attention.

Sonic scratched his head for a few seconds. Then he said, "You should head back to town and warn the people about Dr. Robotnik. It's going to get pretty hectic around here."

"Understood, Big Blue," Rouge said, walking past Sonic towards the entrance to the Garden. "See you later."

"Big Blue?" Knuckles wondered out loud as he watched Rouge leave. "Isn't that what—

"Come on, Knuckles," Amy said abruptly. "We have to get moving if we're going to beat G. U. N.!"

"Oh, right," Knuckles said and took off in the direction of the robots with Amy right behind him.

To be continued…


	28. Chapter 28: Ransom

Chapter 28: Ransom

Tails flew above the trees in the direction his Emerald Detector pointed to. He figured that Dr. Eggman must be storing the Chaos Emeralds onboard the Egg Carrier, and so if he found the Emeralds then Tails would surely find Eggman. Eventually, he came to the western coast of South Island which was shrouded in a heavy fog that rolled in from the ocean.

"That's weird," Tails said to himself. "According to Miles, there's usually never _this_ much fog along the coast, even during the daytime."

As the Emerald Detector beeped rapidly in the direction of the ocean, Tails flew over the beach and over the waves that lapped the shoreline. Along the way, he noticed a rowboat that was torn into pieces with parts of it floating away. On one such part lay an unconscious girl who looked to be about Miles' age with medium chestnut hair and dark-brown highlights tied into downward pigtails wearing a green tank-top and black shorts. Concerned, Tails flew down towards the girl when an explosion occurred forcing him to look toward the ocean. Several cannonballs were flying through the air in his direction, forcing him to quickly grab the girl and fly back to the beach. Fortunately, none of the cannonballs hit him, but the explosions they caused in the water were loud enough to disturb the girl.

Before the girl regained consciousness, Tails placed her gently down on the beach and quickly transformed back into Miles. Once this was done, Miles knelt next to the girl as she opened her eyes. They were bright-blue like the ocean on a clear day.

"Are you okay, Miss?" Miles asked. "What were you doing that far from the shore?"

"My boat," the girl replied wearily as she sat up. "Where's my boat?"

"It's…kind of torn up out there," Miles replied. "Probably because of those cannonballs that came flying out of the fog."

"Cannonballs?" The girl gasped. "That's right! I was heading out to see my cousin Stilla on Bygone Island when this weird fog rolled in followed by a cannonball that put a hole in my boat. I tried to swim back to shore and…I guess I got too tired and fell asleep."

"Well it's a good thing that I rescued you when I did, otherwise you would've been killed."

"You rescued me? How?"

"I was, uh, walking along the beach when I saw you floating in the water and so I jumped in and swam out to get you."

"But you don't look wet."

"That's because my clothes dried while you were unconscious."

"How long was I out?"

Noticing that the girl didn't have a watch, Miles said. "I'd say an hour, maybe two."

"Wow, I really was tired," the girl said as she stood up. "But thanks for rescuing me. My name's Marina Racco."

"Miles Prower," Miles said as he extended his hand out to the girl.

Marina gladly shook Miles' hand. "Hey, didn't you attend South Island Middle School? I think we attended the same class together in eighth grade."

"Oh, yeah. I thought you looked familiar."

"So how have you been?"

"Um, good, but do you think we can resume this conversation once we're away from the beach?" Miles interrupted. "Whoever threw those cannonballs could be watching us and planning to strike again."

"Right, I forgot. Sorry."

So Miles and Marina walked along a trail that began at the palm-trees that outlined the beach. During this time, they talked about what they did after graduating middle school, though Miles had to change some of the details for his experiences. Then the conversation shifted to Marina and some of the personal issues she was having.

"So your parents just abandoned you here?" Miles said trying to comprehend what Marina just told him. "Who raised you?"

"The Coconut Crew construction workers did," Marina said. "There really nice guys, especially Tab. He was like a father to me."

"Did something happen to him?" Miles asked. "You don't sound too happy."

"He left three years ago to find work on the other islands, and didn't even ask me if I wanted to come. I hate him for doing that to me, because I want to get off this island more than anything else and explore the rest of the world."

"I understand that urge. That's why I went to Station Square to attend high school."

"I would've gone there too if the Coconut Crew guys had enough money. So I've been taking part-time jobs around the town to save up on a boat so I could sail out of here, but now that it's gone I'm back to square one."

"Well if you had a boat, why did you wait till now to try leaving the island? Is it because of your cousin?"

"Yes," Marina answered. "A few weeks ago, I found her on a website dedicated to slovenly people and she was at the top of the list. After that, I did a little research and learned she's the daughter of my dad's brother. But her parents died in a tragic boating accident recently, and so she's an orphan like myself. I want to go to Bygone Island and comfort her really badly, but now I can't get there."

"You will, Marina," Miles said confidently. "Because I'm going to help you build a new boat."

"But you don't know anything about shipbuilding," Marina responded. "I built my boat from scratch after eight years of studying the craft. What makes you think you're up for the challenge?"

Miles scratched the back of his head. "I have what you might call an 'unusual gift' for fixing just about anything that's put in front of me."

"All right, then let's go to my workshop and see what you're made of." Marina took hold of Miles' hand and was about to drag him down a fork in the path when he stopped.

"Maybe later, but I've got some business I need to take care of," Miles said, releasing his hand from Marina's. "If I could have your phone-number so I could call you when I'm done, that would be great."

At first, Marina looked disappointed, and then she smiled. "Sure!"

After they exchanged phone-numbers, Marina and Miles went their separate ways down the forked paths in the trail.

###

Meanwhile, Sonic was busy running circles around the G. U. N. base with the soldiers constantly shooting at him. None of the bullets touched him, of course, but there were a few that got a little too close for comfort. So he ran faster, causing the dirt surrounding the base to spiral up into a miniature dust-storm that caused the soldiers to miss more frequently and eventually cease-fire altogether. Once this was accomplished, Sonic left the G. U. N. base as quickly as he came but soon noticed a shadow following him along the ground. When he looked up to see what it was, there was nothing in the sky and the shadow was gone. It was then that Sonny's cellphone vibrated from his trouser-pocket, which Sonic picked up with ease due to his unfamiliarity with the technology.

"Hello?" Sonic asked.

A voice answered back. " _Sonic, this is Tails. I think I've found where Dr. Eggman is hiding, but there's a slight problem._ "

"What is it?"

" _There's some unusually dense fog obscuring the Egg Carrier from view, and it seems to be guarded by something that spewed cannonballs at me_."

"Were you hurt?"

" _No, but there was a girl whose boat got hit. She was barely conscious when I brought her to shore, but she's fine. I think it's best if we regroup at the Chao Garden for now so we can think of a plan of action before taking Dr. Eggman on directly_."

"Sounds good to me. I'll get in touch with Amy and Knuckles to see where they're at and we'll meet you back at the Chao Garden."

" _Okay. See you later, then,_ " Tails said, and hung up.

Afterwards, Sonic scrolled through the list of contacts and, after a brief sigh, he called Amelia's phone-number.

###

"Sonic! How nice of you to call me," Amy said cheerfully. "I don't think you've ever done that before. Does this mean you're interested in dating me?"

Sonic hesitated for a moment. " _Uh, not really. I was just wondering where you and Knuckles were_."

"Oh, we're just finishing off the last of the robots by the old ruins," Amy replied as she dropped her hammer on the head of the robot that was standing beneath her feet which caused brief sparks to fly from it. Then she looked over her shoulder and said, "Right, Knuckles?"

"Yep," Knuckles replied, retracting his Shovel Claws out of a fallen robot.

"So what's happening on your end?" Amy asked to Sonic.

" _Tails thinks he's found Dr. Eggman, so we're heading back to the Chao Garden to figure out a plan of action_ ," Sonic replied.

"What about G. U. N.?"

" _I've taken care of them_."

"Then I'll meet you at the Chao Garden. Bye-bye!" Amy let out a long sigh after hanging up.

###

Back at the Chao Garden, Miles told everyone about what he saw on the western coast and of his encounter with Marina. The sun was past the zenith point and the Chao had come out of hiding to resume their play. Then once Miles finished his story, everyone was silent for a few minutes in concentrated thought.

"That sounds like something Dr. Eggman would do to keep the islanders away from the Egg Carrier," Chuck said after a while.

"But it's only going to be a matter of time before G. U. N. finds out," Amelia said.

"We've got to get the Chaos Emeralds back from Dr. Eggman before that happens," Sonny responded. "I'm not sure what G. U. N. would do if they had the Chaos Emeralds in their possession, but I don't want to find out."

"It's getting late, guys," Crème said abruptly. "We should get home before my mom starts worrying about me."

"Crème's right," Miles said. "Maybe if I sleep on it, I'll have a more definite plan by tomorrow."

"Whatever you say, Miles," Sonny said. "We're not in a hurry to beat Dr. Eggman, after all."

So the five packed up and left the Chao Garden. The lake's surface slowly grew darker as they walked around it, and the steep path that led back into town was completely in shadow by the time Sonny and his friends got there. Once in town, they expected to see empty streets under the assumption that Rouge warned the people but instead the streets were occupied by the usual bored residents and restless tourists.

"I bet Rouge didn't even bother to warn the people of this town," Amelia said irritably. "That lazy no-good—

"Chill out, Amelia," Miles said. "The robots didn't go near the town and G. U. N. was distracted, so maybe Rouge didn't need to warn the town people. If anything, it would've caused everyone to unnecessarily panic, and that would've gotten G. U. N.'s attention."

"It might've even gotten Rouge in trouble, and we can't let that happen now that she knows our secret," Sonny said.

"Do you think it was a good idea to tell her?" Amelia asked. "We haven't known her for that long and she could rat out on us to somebody."

Sonny scratched his head before answering. "Well, we didn't have a choice considering she was already suspecting something and it would only have been a matter of time before she found out the longer she stayed with us."

"Then why did you invite her on this trip in the first place?" Amelia snapped as she stopped walking and turned to face Sonny.

"How was I supposed to know that Dr. Eggman would show up here while we were on vacation?" Sonny said defensively. "If he hadn't, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I told you already. Rouge said her dad wasn't going to be around for Winter Break, so I offered her to come with us and she said 'Yes'."

"Are you sure it wasn't for any other reason like…you wanted to spend more time with her?"

"Yes, but only because I hope to at least be friends with her since she seems quite interested in me."

"Sonny, the only reason she's shown interest in you is because she's planning to seduce you like she has with so many other boys at our school."

Sonic blinked rapidly. "Is that why you've been hard on Rouge since we got here? Aren't you being a little paranoid?"

"No, Sonny, I know girls like Rouge better than you do. They may seem nice on the outside but inside they're manipulative she-devils who will seduce men and break their hearts as soon as they're through. All of Rouge's ex's demonstrate that, and I don't want the same thing to happen to you."

"But I don't see Rouge in that way. If she tries to seduce me, I'll just tell her I want to be friends and nothing more."

"Fine," Amelia said as she turned away from Sonny. Then under her breath she said, "For both of our sakes, I hope that's true."

"You seem to like Sonny a lot," Crème said looking up at Amelia. "Maybe you should date him."

This comment took everyone by surprise, but especially Amelia who turned bright-red and walked on ahead. Miles, Sonny, and Crème tried to catch up to her, but they were suddenly distracted by a familiar voice coming from the electronics store they were passing by in the downtown area. They went inside and saw Dr. Eggman laughing maniacally on all the television sets in the store.

Once he was done laughing, Dr. Eggman said, " _If you're wondering why your television sets are not working right now it is because I, the illustrious Dr. Robotnik, have hacked into South Island's cable network. The reason I have done this is to inform you all that I'm here to claim what should've been mine three years ago: your island. However, I will need a certain someone known as The Blue Blur to pay tribute to me. So if you're listening to this broadcast, Blue Blur, I want you to bring me the last piece of Chaos by noon tomorrow, or else—_

Dr. Eggman paused to bring someone onscreen. It was Ms. Hare, and she was gagged and tied up. Crème's eyes widened as Cheese tried not to move despite the growing frown on his face.

" _This beautiful woman will get roboticized. Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with robotization, it's a simple process where organic life-forms are replaced with mechanical parts and essentially turned into robots. What I did to the hostage children was a form of robotization, but they were merely placed inside robots. Here is a demonstration of what true robotization looks like_." Dr. Eggman then showed footage of a man whom Sonny recognized as Mr. Chaplain being dragged into a dim-lit room and strapped to an operating table. Next, the operating table lifted upward so that Mr. Chaplain was facing away from the camera, but his screams of agony and pain were audible. After several minutes, the screams stopped, and the operating table turned towards the camera to reveal a mechanical version of Mr. Chaplain. Afterwards, Dr. Eggman cut back to himself and said, " _Unless you want the same process to happen to my hostage, bring me what I want to the West coast of South Island tomorrow at noon, Blue Blur. I'll be waiting_."

The broadcast ended, and all the television sets resumed back to normal.

"Mama," Crème muttered. Then she turned to Sonny with tears in her eyes. "You're going to save her, right?"

"I will, Crème," Sonny said, pulling Crème close to him as she cried silently into his shirt. "I promise."

To be continued…


	29. Chapter 29: Preparation

Chapter 29: Preparation

Around 7:00 AM, Sonny attempted to sneak out of Miles' house in order to go look for the last Chaos Emerald which Dr. Eggman demanded cryptically in the hacked broadcast the day before. He quickly got dressed, brushed his teeth, and grabbed Miles' Emerald Detector before going. Outside, the sky was still dark with only a faint light coming from the East. After transforming into Sonic, he took off with only a flashlight to light his path.

Thirty minutes later after running the entirety of the island twice, Sonic found the Red Chaos Emerald at a workbench near a small house on the outskirts of town. However, the workbench was occupied by a teenage girl with brunette pigtails wearing a green tank-top and black shorts. She didn't notice Sonic as she was looking at a series of charts on the workbench. From the back Sonic noticed that the girl had a pair of raccoon ears and tail that were partially lit by the kerosene lamp that lay on top of the workbench. Then Sonic accidentally stepped on a twig, which caused him to flinch and the girl's ears to perk up.

"Who's there?" the girl asked. She then turned around and her eyes widened. "Sonic?"

"Marine?" Sonic said, mildly shocked.

"Bless my sails!" Marine said as she ran over and hugged Sonic tightly. "I thought you were a goner, lad."

"Yeah, I did too," Sonic replied, struggling to breathe. "But I'm back."

Marine then let go of Sonic and looked around. "Where's Tails?"

"I believe you met him yesterday at the West coast beach when he rescued you."

"You mean that boy Miles was actually Tails?" Marine blinked. "Blimey! No wonder I felt so comfortable around him."

"So if you remember what happened yesterday, then I take it you and Marina are in touch."

"Oh, yeah, we've been in touch since she was seven when her interest in shipbuilding began. In fact, I was just making plans to build a new ship after my previous one got destroyed by cannonballs yesterday."

"Right, well if I could have that Chaos Emerald that's on the table that would be great," Sonic said as he pointed to the Red Chaos Emerald.

"You mean this thing?" Marine asked as she picked up the Red Chaos Emerald.

"I need it to save the hostage Dr. Eggman took yesterday."

"Oh, I see." Marine stared at the Chaos Emerald for a few seconds and then she gave it to Sonic. "Well, I was going to use it for a power source on my new ship, but your need for the Emerald is greater than mine."

"But you could still help," Sonic offered. "My friends and I need to get to the Egg Carrier somehow, and so maybe we could use your boat. How long will it take you to build it?"

"Normally, it'll take me three or four hours, but I don't have any shipbuilding Materials."

"Tell me what you need, and I'll get them for you."

Surprised, Marine looked behind her and picked up a piece of paper. After reading it, she said, "Okay, um, so I'll need large quantities of these items I found scattered about the island called Materials that appear either as gemstones or metals. But in order to recognize them you'll need a Material Detector."

Marine then went back into the house and came out a few seconds later with a device that looked similar to Miles' Emerald Detector except it had outlines for nine differently shaped objects instead of just one. She in turn explained each Material to Sonic who listened closely and tried to picture each object in his head. Afterwards, Marine gave the Material Detector to Sonic.

"Thanks, Marine," Sonic said as he nodded.

"No problem, lad," Marine replied. Then she said, "And while you're running around collecting Materials for me, tell Miles to meet me here as soon as possible. He said he'd help me rebuild my ship."

"Sure thing!" Sonic said before taking off.

###

In half an hour, Sonic was able to find all the Materials Marine needed. On his way to delivering them to her, Sonic decided to stop by Miles' house to see if he was awake. Indeed, he was but also not too pleased to see Sonic.

"I thought we were going to look for the Chaos Emerald together," Miles said irritably.

"Yeah, but I got anxious," Sonic said sheepishly.

"It's okay," Miles said, taking the Emerald Detector from Sonic's outstretched hand. "So I take it you found the Emerald already?"

"Yeah, but that's not why I came here. I ran into Marina and she wants to meet up with you as soon as possible."

"Did she see you the way you look now?"

"Yes, but she's possessed by a friend of mine named Marine so she wasn't surprised. In fact, she's offered to allow us to use her boat to get to the Egg Carrier for the ransom exchange once it's been built and wants you to help her."

"Oh, uh, then I should get going," Miles said as he prepared to close the front door he was standing in. "I'll tell Amelia and Chuck, so you can go on ahead to the West coast. Marina and I will meet you there."

"Okay, see you then," Sonic said as Miles closed the front door.

###

After giving the Materials to Marine, Sonic payed a visit to the Chaotix Detectives who were about to meet up with G. U. N. to help them look for Dr. Eggman.

"But I thought you were getting paid to investigate Eggman's old hideout," Sonic said after the Chaotix Detectives were done explaining.

"They said they'd pay extra doe if we helped them find Dr. Eggman," Victor said grinning.

"You may not know this, Sonic, but Victor loves money when he can get his hands on it," Charles said wearily.

"That reminds me of Vector," Sonic mused. "He loved money a great deal."

"Look, Sonic," Victor said defensively. "Just because the spirit of Vector inhabits my body doesn't mean I'm exactly like him."

"Are you actually going through with the ransom?" Espen asked standing in his usual corner by the water cooler in the main office. "You'd just be playing into Dr. Eggman's hands."

"I know that, Espen," Sonic replied. "But unless someone comes up with a better idea, it seems like the best option to save Ms. Hare."

"Poor Crème," Victor said shaking his head. "She must be pretty shaken up by the whole event."

"Yeah, and that's why I've got to fix it as soon as possible," Sonic said confidently.

"Then I'm going to assume that you want us to stall G. U. N. until after 12:00," Espen guessed.

"I, uh, didn't consider that," Sonic said scratching the side of his head in embarrassment. "But if you could—

"We'll do it for you!" Charles cried. "And Crème!"

Once Victor and Espen nodded in sync, Sonic quickly left the house and made his way to the West coast beach.

###

Three hours later, Amelia, Chuck, and Crème showed up at the beach where Sonny was snoozing underneath a palm-tree near the shoreline.

"Sonny," Amelia said irritably as she walked up to him. "How can you be sleeping at a time like this?"

"Hey," Sonny said as he rubbed his eyes. "I was getting my beauty sleep."

Amelia scuffed. "I hope you were being sarcastic, Sonny, because that wasn't funny."

"You sure seem moodier than usual, Amelia."

"Don't question it," Chuck said. "She's been like this ever since Crème decided to tag along with us."

"Crème," Sonny said as he got up and walked over to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to help you rescue my mom," Crème said sternly.

"You realize what you're getting yourself into, right?"

"Of course. Cream told me that she's fought alongside Sonic before, and I have Cheese to help me out as well. He may not look much, but he's really strong."

As if to demonstrate, Cheese flew towards the palm-tree Sonny was lying under and punched it really hard with his stubby hand. The tree shook a little, and a coconut came falling down. Satisfied, Cheese flew back to Crème's side.

Sonny paused, and then he sighed. "Fine. You can come, but don't get into too much trouble."

"Yay!" Crème said excitedly.

Then from around a bend on the far left side of the beach came a small ship. It had the face of a raccoon on the mast, and a roof made of sticks and leaves. The one who was piloting the ship was none other than Marina with Miles standing by her side. She steered the boat close to the shore and pressed a button that released a ramp from the hull that touched the sandy beach.

"Hey, guys," Miles said walking down the ramp.

"How were you able to navigate through the fog?" Amelia asked.

"Marine showed me the way," Marina said, jumping over the ramp and onto the sand. Then she held her hand out to Amelia and said, "That's the name of my spirit. I'm Marina."

Amelia hesitated for a second, and then she shook Marina's hand. "I'm Amelia."

After that, Marina introduced herself to Chuck and Crème before arriving at Sonny.

"Aren't you Sonic?" Marina said with mild confusion.

"No, the name's Sonny," Sonny replied. "Sonic's the name of my spirit whom you saw this morning as Marine."

"I see," Marina said as she went ahead and shook Sonny's hand. "Well, it's nice to meet you anyway, Sonny."

"So who is Marine?" Amelia asked coming between them. "My spirit Amy doesn't seem to recall her at all."

"That's because Sonic and Tails encountered her in another dimension they got accidentally sent to during a freaky tropical storm," Miles answered.

"Oh, yeah," Amelia said holding the side of her head. "I remember they went to look for a strange signal that Tails detected on _The Tornado_ 's radar — I mean, that's what Amy remembers."

"Uh, guys, shouldn't we get going?" Chuck said impatiently.

"Relax, big guy," Marina replied casually. "We've got at least fifty minutes before we need to meet Dr. Eggman. Might as well take care of whatever's throwing those cannonballs out there."

"Good idea, though if it's related to Dr. Eggman it might not attack us once we show the Chaos Emerald," Miles said.

Marina smirked. "True, but we won't know until we get to it."

"I say we should go," Crème said loudly. "The sooner we can save my mom, the better."

"All right, then let's get going," Sonny said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Okay!" Marina said as a chestnut-brown aura surrounded her. Once that was done, Marine said, "Climb aboard the SS Marine and prepare for battle, lads!"

The others followed her example and transformed into their other selves as well. Afterwards, they all boarded Marine's ship and sailed off toward the ocean. It wasn't long before the fog completely enveloped them, making it difficult to see anything, as several distant explosions occurred.

To be continued…


	30. Chapter 30: Trickery

**30th chapter, guys! Thank you so much for supporting this fan-fiction up till now!**

Chapter 30: Trickery

As the incoming cannonballs got closer, Marine quickly swerved the boat out of their path and drove faster. Though the cannonballs ultimately missed, their explosions on the water's surface caused small waves to rock the ship. Everyone onboard got tossed and turned, but no one fell off. Further out to sea, the fog started to grow thicker and the explosions from the unseen cannons grew louder.

"We're getting close, lads!" Marine said confidently. "Judging by the sound of those cannon explosions, I'd say the ship is less than thirty yards away."

"Hey, Marine," Amy said, pointing to a buoy-shaped object several feet away on the port-side with two robots standing at its base. "What is that?"

"I'm not sure," Marine replied. "But it must be important considering that it's guarded by two robots."

"There's another one on this side," Knuckles said, pointing to a similar object on the starboard-side a few feet away. "And there are robots guarding it as well."

"Have they spotted us?" Cream asked nervously.

"If they have, we would be hearing laser blasts by now," Tails said. "But we can't ignore them either. Knuckles, you take out the one on your side. Amy, I'll fly you over to the other one."

"All right," Knuckles said, and glided over to the buoy on the starboard-side.

Amy nodded in agreement, and held onto Tails' hands as he flew them over to the other one.

A sudden sea breeze caused the fog to obscure the two buoys from sight. While Marine continued to avoid the cannonballs, several laser blasts were heard nearby, but then they ceased altogether. This was followed by a few splashes and then the fog suddenly grew less thick. Knuckles glided back onto the SS Marine triumphantly while Amy and Tails did the same.

"Thank goodness you're safe," Cream said, hugging Amy. "I was so worried about you when I heard those splashes."

"Those were the sounds of robots being thrown overboard by me," Knuckles said, clenching his fists for emphasis.

"Um, you're not the only one who overthrew some robots," Amy said, waving her hammer in Knuckles' face. "They were no match for my Piko Hammer."

"Guys, this isn't a competition," Tails said. "It turns out those buoys had smoke machines mounted on top of them, and that's what was creating the unusual fog."

"Oh, so that's why it's starting to clear up," Sonny said, noticing the first patches of blue sky in the thinning fog. "That means we'll get to see whatever's been hurling those cannonballs this whole time."

"But it also means we'll be more vulnerable since we won't have the fog to cover us up," Marine said sternly.

As the sea breeze cleared up the last of the fog, Sonic and the others beheld a strange sight. Anchored on the other side of a coastal reef was a large yellow and red submarine with the Eggman's grinning face on the side. The topside of the submarine was dotted with cannons that were stationed by robots while two figures stood on the submarine's tower. Sonic couldn't see who they were, but then one of them took out a megaphone and spoke into it.

" _Are you Sonic the Hedgehog?_ " shouted a robotic voice across the water.

In response, Sonic took out the Red Chaos Emerald and held it above his head.

The other figure took out a spyglass and gazed at the Chaos Emerald. After speaking to the one with the megaphone, the figure with the spyglass disappeared below-deck. Then the figure with the megaphone spoke again.

" _As soon as me first-mate fetches the hostage, he will row out to meet you for the exchange. So don_ _'_ _t go anywhere or try to board my sub, unless you want to feel the wrath of my cannons in broad sunlight._ "

Marine flinched. "I don't like this, Sonic."

"Neither do I," Sonic replied. "But we don't have any other choice."

A few minutes later, the second figure emerged from below-deck holding someone who looked like Ms. Hare. Then the figure carried the person down a flight of metallic stairs alongside the sub to a bright red lifeboat with a motor attached to it. He steered the boat at a reasonable speed to the SS Marine and stopped right next to it. Up close, Sonic saw that the figure who was driving the motorized lifeboat was a robot version of Johnny, Mr. Chaplain's assistant teacher, with green and yellow armor as well as a shark-shaped head.

"Johnny," Sonic said in shock. "Don't tell me Dr. Eggman roboticized you too?"

" _That_ _'_ _s First-Mate Johnny to you, boy!_ " Johnny snapped. " _Now are you going to hand me the Chaos Emerald or not?_ "

Hesitant, Sonic held the Red Chaos Emerald out to Johnny who reached for it with his robotic hand.

"Wait a minute!" Cream abruptly shouted. "That's not my mom!"

Sonic then looked at the person lying behind Johnny. While it wore the same clothes as Ms. Hare, the figure was shorter in height and a hint of metal showed underneath the sleeves. Curious, Sonic jumped onto the lifeboat and looked Ms. Hare in the face to discover it was one of Eggman's robots disguised to look like her. Immediately, Johnny tried to punch Sonic, but he jumped up and curled into a ball. After spinning in the air a few times, Sonic fell on top of Johnny, causing him to get knocked out and the lifeboat to sprout a leak. Before the lifeboat completely sank with the fake Ms. Hare on it, Sonic grabbed Johnny and jumped back onboard the SS Marine with the Red Chaos Emerald still in hand.

"Eggman tried to trick us by dressing a robot to look like Ms. Hare," Sonic said, looking down at the slightly dismantled Johnny. "And it seems Mr. Chaplain wasn't the only one he roboticized."

"He's not going to get away with this!" Tails said angrily. "Marine, head full-speed towards the submarine. We've got a score to settle!"

"With pleasure!" Marine said, and revved up the SS Marine.

The figure on the submarine's tower noticed, and signaled the robots to fire the cannons. But like before, Marine was able to dodge every single cannonball until she managed to park the ship right next to the same ladder Johnny came down. As Sonic and his friends boarded the submarine the figure on the tower, who was now visibly seen as the roboticized version of Mr. Chaplain wearing a long red trench coat and matching pirate hat shading his face, ordered the robots to arm their laser guns while he took out a long saber. From there, a battle ensued on the topside of the submarine with lasers and punches abound.

Tails flew around the robots' heads to distract them while Knuckles punched them out from behind. Meanwhile, Cream sent Cheese flying at the robots who punched them so hard that they fell overboard. Then when the robots fired at her, Cream managed to avoid the lasers by using her rabbit ears to flap into the air. Amy on the other hand was having a ball swinging her Piko Hammer around bashing robots left and right. Sonic, in the meantime, spun his way up to the tower and was met by the robotcized Mr. Chaplain's violent saber swings.

"Stop, Mr. Chaplain!" Sonic said pleadingly. "It's me, Sonny!"

" _I don_ _'_ _t know who this_ _'_ _Mr. Chaplain_ _'_ _is,_ " the robot said still swinging his sword. " _But right now, you_ _'_ _re dealing with Captain Whisker!_ "

"Then you leave me no choice," Sonic said, and jumped high into the air.

After doing a spin-dash attack on Captain Whisker, the robot was damaged but not completely destroyed. Yet Captain Whisker didn't give up and kept swinging his sword, forcing Sonic to do yet another attack. This time, Captain Whisker was too paralyzed to move and yet he still cursed at Sonic. In response, Sonic put a foot over Captain Whisker's mouth.

"Where's the real Ms. Hare?" Sonic said with a stern tone. "And no lies."

Then Sonic took his foot off Captain Whisker's mouth, who answered, " _If you think the lass is here, you're wrong. She's with the doctor onboard the Egg Carrier, which you'll never be able to get to._ "

"Why's that?" Sonic asked.

" _Because it's underwater!_ " Captain Whisker said laughing.

Irritated, Sonic kicked Captain Whisker in the head so hard that he fainted. Afterwards, Sonic looked over the tower and saw his friends tossing over the bodies of dismantled robots. Tails noticed him and flew up to behold the defeated Captain Whisker.

Concerned, Tails said, "Is that—

"Yeah, it's Mr. Chaplain," Sonic said abruptly. "But don't worry. I only knocked him out."

"That's good," Tails sighed with relief. "Did you ask him where Ms. Hare is?"

"I did, and he said she's in the Egg Carrier with Dr. Eggman. He also said the Egg Carrier's underwater."

"Really? Let me check using my Emerald Detector." Tails then pulled the device out and waved it around till he got a clear signal which seemed to be coming from the West further out in the ocean. "Well, according to my calculations, the Egg Carrier is indeed out there in ocean. About ten miles from the reef, I expect."

"So how are we going to get there?"

"With this sub, of course!"

"But you've never driven a submarine before."

"True, though I wouldn't be surprised if Marine does."

Then Sonic and his friends entered the submarine and were met by legions of robots armed with sabers.

To be continued…


	31. Chapter 31: Rescue

**I meant to finish the Sonic Advance 2/Sonic Rush Adventure story-arc in the last chapter, but if I had it would've been really long and I'm trying to keep these chapters between 1-2000 words. Fortunately, the next arc will be based on Sonic Adventure 2 so for those of you who have been looking forward to having Shadow show up in this fanfic will have their wish granted!**

Chapter 31: Rescue

Once Captain Whisker and First-Mate Johnny were securely locked inside a cabin in the submarine's lower-deck, Sonic and Tails searched for a place to put Marine's ship and by luck they found an opening near the metal ladder that led into a hidden compartment where jet-skis and lifeboats were stored. So after Marine parked the SS Marine inside, she made her way to the bridge where Amy and Knuckles were busy cleaning up all the robots they dismantled with Cream and Cheese helping them. She eyed the steering-wheel, scope, and two levers on either side.

"Do you think you can drive this, Marine?" Tails asked, walking up to her.

"Lad, if I can drive a boat, then I could pilot a sub with no problem!" Marine said flexing her fingers. "Now let's dive before that egg-rat gets away!"

"Right," Tails nodded and told everyone to take their positions by the control panels alongside the bridge.

As Marine lifted down the first lever, the water outside the glass window of the bridge rose steadily until they were completely submerged. Then Marine spun the steering-wheel to the right, which caused the submarine to turn in the same direction away from the coral reef towards the open water. Next, Marine pushed the other lever forward, causing the submarine to accelerate.

Within minutes, the submarine came upon a deep-sea trench with the Egg Carrier nestled inside. Marine immediately noticed the turret guns fire and steered the submarine out of their range. The torpedoes zipped right past, though it didn't make Sonic and the others feel any better.

"We have to find some way to get aboard without being seen," Tails said thoughtfully. "If we try attacking directly, we'll get blown to pieces in no time."

"I'm scared," Cream said, clinging to Sonic's shirt. "What are we going to do, Sonic?"

"Calm down, Cream," Sonic said. "Maybe there's some kind of underwater escape pod located in that compartment where we put the SS Marine."

"Sonic, don't be ridiculous," Amy said. "Only cartoon villains would — oh, right. I forgot who we're dealing with."

"I'll be back shortly," Sonic said, and left the bridge in a flash. A few seconds later, he came back and said, "There is indeed an underwater escape pod but it's only big enough to fit two people inside."

"Then Sonic and I will go since I know how to pilot underwater vehicles," Marine said.

"No, Marine, I'll go instead," Tails said. "We need you the pilot the submarine to safety in case something goes wrong."

"Why does Sonic have to be the one to go?" Knuckles said abruptly. "He'll be completely useless if you guys get stranded out there in ocean or forced to abandon the escape pod."

"Yeah, maybe I should go in his place," Amy said. "I'm almost as fast as he is, and I know how to swim."

"I appreciate the offer, guys, but we're trying to rescue Ms. Hare and take back the Chaos Emeralds from Dr. Eggman," Tails said. "And in order to do those things we need to be fast, and Sonic is the fastest thing alive."

"Right-o!" Sonic said. "And while I may be afraid of water I'll be good as long as Tails is by my side."

"Well, if you say so," Knuckles said.

"Be careful, though," Amy said holding Sonic's hands in hers. "I would hate to lose you."

"Don't worry, Amy, I'll be fine," Sonic said reassuringly and then he and Tails left the bridge.

"Good luck!" Cream cried out.

###

Once they had left the submarine inside the escape pod, Tails maneuvered it toward the Egg Carrier's underside to avoid the turret guns on the top side. The bottom ones on the other hand could barely move as a result of the trench's narrow space. Sonic occasionally touched the glass covering of the escape pod, but withdrew it nervously.

"You okay, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonic said quietly.

After swimming alongside the Egg Carrier, Tails came to the runway behind the watchtower and noticed a pair of closed doors.

"This must be where Eggman's vehicles go to when they land," Tails speculated.

Then to Tails' surprise, the doors opened and the escape pod was sucked inside due to the pressure of the water. While the doors immediately closed behind them, Sonic and Tails found themselves drifting into a hangar of sorts where they eventually crashed into a pile of crates stored with weapons. The escape pod's glass top immediately opened, and Sonic and Tails were ejected out of it. They landed on a railing several hundred feet above the pod, which exploded below them, and crawled onto a balcony crawling with robots.

"I guess Dr. Eggman was expecting us," Tails said as the robots all pointed their lasers at him and Sonic. "That's why he opened the doors to let us in."

" _Do not make any sudden movements, or you will be shot on sight,_ " one of the robots said and waved his gun upward. " _Now get up. The Doctor is waiting_."

Reluctantly, Sonic and Tails did as the robot said. They were dragged out of the hangar where the water was being drained through small holes that appeared in the floor and onto a large elevator that was big enough to fit sixteen robots. Several floors up Sonic and Tails were let off at the bridge which was similar to the one on the submarine except larger. There Dr. Eggman was looking at the glass window with his back turned to them.

"Welcome aboard, Sonic," Dr. Eggman said, pressing a small button to his left. "I assume you have the Chaos Emerald?"

A small pedestal appeared next to Dr. Eggman with six of the seven Chaos Emeralds nestled on a silk pillow underneath a glass case.

"Yeah, I've got it," Sonic said, unclenching his hand to reveal the Red Chaos Emerald. "But first I want Ms. Hare."

"As you wish," Dr. Eggman said as he faced Sonic and Tails. "But as I give her back to you, I want you to throw me the Chaos Emerald at the same time."

"Fine," Sonic said.

Dr. Eggman grinned and then he snapped his finger. The Egg Mobile appeared from a hatchway beneath the floor with a gagged and bound Ms. Hare lying inside it. Then Dr. Eggman untied Ms. Hare and pushed a button that opened the front end of the Egg Mobile which allowed Ms. Hare to step out of it. Still gagged, Ms. Hare was pushed toward Sonic and Tails by Dr. Eggman while putting his freehand in a catching position. Sonic then reciprocated by throwing the Red Chaos Emerald into the air towards Dr. Eggman. However, the Chaos Emerald overshot Dr. Eggman by a few inches and in that time Sonic dashed over to get behind Dr. Eggman and catch the Emerald.

"You should always look where the Emerald's going to land, Dr. Eggman," Sonic said as he caught the Red Chaos Emerald. "Because a pesky blue hedgehog just might catch it before you do."

Dr. Eggman growled in anger. Then just as Dr. Eggman was about to make a move Sonic put his fist over the glass casing that held the Chaos Emeralds inside. They began to glow and levitated off the pillow.

"Don't do this to me, Sonic," Dr. Eggman said pleadingly. "I was willing to be a good sport and give you what you wanted, but then those men I roboticized decided to take matters into their own hands."

"I'm almost tempted to believe you, Eggman," Sonic said not changing his position. "But Gamma had more freewill than those mindless drones you made out of Mr. Chaplain and Johnny!"

Then with that, Sonic crushed the glass casing with his bare fist which freed the Chaos Emeralds. They circled around Sonic, followed by a bright flash, and then Super Sonic emerged. Angered, Dr. Eggman was about to get into the Egg Mobile but Tails flew up and knocked him down from behind. Super Sonic then grabbed Tails by the hand and Ms. Hare's and they flew right into the elevator shaft. The elevator was coming towards them, but Super Sonic managed to penetrate through it while Tails and Ms. Hare were undamaged due to a protective golden aura that surrounded them. They then made it into the hangar where a bunch of robots noticed them and started firing.

"Tails, how do we get out of here?" Sonic shouted. "We can't dodge them forever!"

For a few seconds, Tails said nothing. Then he said, "I have an idea, but it's going to be risky."

"Let's hear it."

"Fly as fast you can toward the hangar doors. The impact should puncture a hole that's big enough for us to slip out. Then while Dr. Eggman is busy dealing with the leak we'll be on our way back to the submarine."

"Is there an alternative that doesn't involve me flying through water?"

"I'm afraid not. The escape pod self-destructed when it rammed into those crates, and I don't think Dr. Eggman has any other underwater vehicles lying around."

Sonic sighed irritably. "All right, but I'd like to hear Ms. Hare's opinion before we do anything."

Ms. Hare said nothing in response, and her eyes seemed to wander.

"I think she's in shock," Tails said.

Sonic then took a deep breath and flew straight toward the hangar doors. In a matter of seconds, he punched through the doors with Tails and Ms. Hare unharmed and they were flying through the water toward the submarine which lay in the distance. But Sonic kept pushing on with all his willpower and then when they got close enough he steered toward the hatch where the escape pod emerged from. Before he started to sink, the hatch opened and he flew inside with Tails and Ms. Hare in tow.

###

"So let me get this straight," the G. U. N. Colonel said stomping his boot on the West coast beach impatiently. The Chaotix Detectives gave him a nervous look while the red and yellow submarine was beached on the shore with Captain Whisker and First-Mate Johnny tied together by a steel wire. "You came to this beach _five hours_ after the search began, and you just _happened_ to find this giant submarine parked here and these two robots tied up with a note from The Blue Blur attached to them?"

"Uh, pretty much, sir," Victor said scratching the back of his head.

"So where is Dr. Robotnik?" the Colonel growled.

Then just as he spoke, a distant rumble echoed from the ocean. To the Colonel's surprise, a large object emerged from beneath the water and levitated into the air. It was the Egg Carrier, and flew overhead just as an enormous wave came towards the shore. The G. U. N. soldiers panicked and ran inland while the Chaotix Detectives grabbed Captain Whisker and First-Mate Johnny before joining the soldiers. Meanwhile, the Colonel was dumbfounded until he too retreated.

The wave was split in half by the submarine creating a narrow gap where there was no water. However, the two waves that were created flooded the beach. Fortunately, there weren't any houses in the area, but the trails that led to the beach were washed away. None of the G. U. N. forces drowned, and neither did the Chaotix Detectives. They came back once the water had resided and found the submarine to be beached even further inland.

"If I had known Dr. Robotnik was hiding a few miles out to sea, I would've deployed a fleet of our ships to fish him out by now!" the Colonel said angrily, pointing an accusing finger at the Chaotix Detectives. "And it's your fault for delaying the search, you incompetent morons posing as detectives!"

Charles frowned. "But, sir, we—

"No more excuses!" the Colonel said sharply. "You're fired."

"But, sir," Victor stuttered. "What about our investigation of Dr. Robotnik's old base?"

"What you found there is no longer important to us," the Colonel replied and then Espen suddenly appeared behind him and held a Kunai knife at his throat while putting his arms in a bind behind his back.

"If you don't pay us for investigating Dr. Robotnik's base," Espen said coldly. "Then we'll reveal everything we learned to the public."

The Colonel's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, yes we would," Espen replied. "And not just the investigation, but also some of your organization's other secrets like Project Shadow. I wonder how the public will react once they learn—

"Okay, okay, we'll pay you for investigating Dr. Robotnik's base!" the Colonel said exasperatedly. "But you didn't find Dr. Robotnik so we're not paying you the extra doe we promised."

"Deal," Espen said, and let go of the Colonel.

As the Colonel commanded the G. U. N. soldiers to head back to the base with Captain Whisker and First-Mate Johnny in tow, Espen joined up with Victor and Charles as they took what remained of the dirt path back to town.

"Hey, Espen, what is Project Shadow?" Charles asked.

"I don't know," Espen said. "It was some encrypted file I came across when G. U. N. allowed me to use their base's main computer to see what they knew about Dr. Eggman. But judging from the Colonel's reaction, I'm guessing it must be important."

"Probably, but I wish you'd persuaded him to still pay us for at least trying to find Dr. Eggman," Victor grumbled.

"Don't be so greedy, Victor," Charles said. "We should be happy that we're getting paid in the first place considering how far behind we are on the rent."

###

"Hey, you're finally back," Rouge said looking up from a magazine as Sonny, Miles, Amelia, Chuck, Crème, Cheese, and Ms. Hare entered Amelia's house. "I was starting to get worried."

Chuck scuffed. "Sure you were."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rouge said slamming down her magazine.

"Guys, can we not have an argument in my house?" Amelia said, then she turned to Rouge. "Where's mom?"

"She went out shopping," Rouge responded. "I was tempted to join her, but I decided to stay here instead because I knew you would be back eventually."

"I see," Amelia said. "Um, Rouge?"

"What?"

"I…I'm sorry for being mean to you on this trip, and in general. I thought you were trying to take Sonny away from me, and so I tried protecting him by pushing you away. Then after we shared our secret, I said some nasty things about you behind your back because I was worried about whether we should trust you or not. But now I realize that I was acting like a complete jerk and if you can't forgive me I understand."

A moment of silence passed, and then Rouge said, "You don't have to apologize for anything, darling. You had every right to be suspicious of me. I admit that I'm a flirt and tend to keep to myself, but I should've been clear about my intentions to avoid these kinds of misunderstandings. So if anyone should be apologizing, it's me."

"So what were your intentions?" Sonny asked.

Rouge smiled, and walked over to Sonny. She put her arms around him and said, "I only wanted to be friends with you, Sonny. You're a nice guy and all, but not really my type."

"Oh, I see," Sonny said hesitantly. "Then do you mind letting go of me? You're a little too close for comfort."

"Sorry," Rouge said as she let go. "Force of habit."

"No wonder you don't have any guy friends," Chuck said snidely.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't hug you," Rouge responded.

"And why not?"

"You stink."

Taken aback, Chuck said, "Maybe I don't care about my personal hygiene as much as you do."

"Which isn't healthy for you, and I'm going to fix that right now," Rouge said grabbing Chuck by the dreadlocks on her way up the stairs.

"Ow," Chuck flinched. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you to the upstairs bathroom for a proper shower."

"But I don't want to!"

As they disappeared from the landing, Sonny let out a small giggle. "You know, despite their constant bickering, Rouge and Chuck would make a cute couple."

"Yes, they would," Amelia said as she linked her arm with Sonny's and leaned against him.

Surprised, Sonny said, "What's up with you, Amelia?"

"Oh, nothing," Amelia replied softly. "I guess I'm just…glad that everything worked out in end, and now we can enjoy the rest of Winter Break without any problems to hinder us."

Sonny looked over his shoulder and saw Crème cuddling in her mother's arms. "Yep, you could say that again."

To be continued…


	32. Chapter 32: Suspicion

Chapter 32: Suspicion

As Amelia had predicted, Sonny and his friends' vacation to South Island was much more relaxing once they had defeated Doctor Eggman. Even Rouge seemed to be happier, though she and Chuck constantly bickered. Meanwhile Marina got to work on building a new ship she named the Super SS Marine with Miles helping her out. Then once it was finished, Marina sailed off to Bygone Island to be with her cousin but she and Miles kept in touch through email and video-chat.

Sonny was enjoying his time too, but he was still bitter that his parents couldn't come down to see him. Yet he remembered that his life had gotten more complicated now and maybe it was better that his parents weren't too involved. As for the Chaos Emeralds, Sonny did the same thing as he did before and sent them flying in different directions in Super Sonic form. He figured they would be found eventually, but this method made it more difficult for those who were purposefully seeking the Emeralds out such as Doctor Eggman and possibly G. U. N.

After New Year's Day, Chuck left for Angel Island while Sonic and the others took the first plane back to Central City. At the airport, Rouge was picked up by her father who was a very tall man in his early sixties with short white hair, red and blue eyes, and wearing a gray military uniform. He briefly greeted Sonny and the others before leaving with Rouge in tow. Then from there, Amelia went back to her single-room apartment while Sonny and Miles went back to theirs.

"What did you think of Rouge's dad?" Miles asked. "He seemed kind of intimidating."

"Yeah," Sonny replied. "It's no wonder Rouge is constantly seeking attention from other people."

"That's one of the things I don't like about her, but I guess you can't blame her considering what she has to deal with."

"It would also explain why Rouge is so withdrawn. Now what did she say her dad's job was?"

"She said he works for the government, but didn't specify what he does."

"Didn't that seem odd to you? She sounded like she knew her dad's work but chose not to tell us."

"Probably because her father was standing right there."

"Do you think he's some kind of government agent posing as a military general?"

"Sonny, don't be ridiculous. That kind of thing only exists in movies."

###

The next morning, Sonny was violently woken by Miles who had a panic-stricken face.

"Sonny, get up!" Miles said nervously. "You need to see this."

"Give me five more minutes," Sonny said groggily.

"I mean it!" Miles said, dragging Sonny out of bed into the main living-room/kitchen area where he plopped him in front of the TV.

Onscreen, an anchorwoman was talking while the caption beneath her said 'Blue Blur a thief?'.

" _Police investigators are baffled by this jewel robbery that was committed last night because the thief came and went in only a matter of seconds and the security cameras were mysteriously destroyed in the process,_ " the anchorwoman said. " _Here is an artist_ _'_ _s rendering of the stolen gem_."

A picture flashed up on the TV showing a rough drawing of a big green gemstone.

"That's a Chaos Emerald," Sonny muttered, feeling more awake than before. "What was it doing in a jewelry store?"

" _It was sold to the jewelry store a few days ago by a dealer who pawned it off a homeless guy who claims to have found it in an alleyway_ ," the anchorwoman continued. " _While the police don_ _'_ _t have any leads on who committed the robbery some people believe that it was The Blue Blur, a mysterious phenomenon that has gained massive popularity in the past three years though G. U. N. has been vigorously investigating it._ "

Miles then turned off the TV. "I'm sure you don't need to hear the rest."

"I don't what those people are talking about," Sonny said as he got up. "We had just gotten home last night, so it couldn't have been me – I mean, it couldn't have been Sonic."

"Then who else could it have been? Metal Sonic?"

"He was demolished by Knuckles, but maybe Doctor Eggman repaired him."

"It's possible, but we won't ever know since the security cameras got destroyed."

A sudden knock came from the front door, surprising both Sonny and Miles.

"I'll get it," Sonny said, and dashed over to the front door.

Sonny opened it partway, and was surprised by what he saw. There were two G. U. N. soldiers standing outside wearing helmets that obscured their faces. One of them glanced down at a piece of paper and then back at Sonny.

"Are you Sonny Hedge?" asked the G. U. N. soldier with the paper in his hand.

"Uh, yes," Sonny replied slowly. "Are you from G. U. N.?"

"We'd like you to accompany us, Mr. Hedge," said the other G. U. N. soldier, who was taller than the other one. "There are a few questions we have regarding your...whereabouts last night."

"Is this about the robbery?" Sonny asked, though he already knew the answer. "Because I had nothing to do with it. If there's anyone you should be bugging, it's Doctor Eggman."

The G. U. N. soldier with the paper made a puzzled frown. "Eggman?"

"Sorry, I meant to say Doctor Robotnik," Sonny said hurriedly. "Well, I've got a busy day ahead of me so I don't have the time to talk to you right now."

Then as Sonny tried to close the door, the tall G. U. N. soldier pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Sonny's head.

"We're not leaving until you come with us," the tall G. U. N. soldier said sternly. "Get dressed and be out here in five minutes, or we're coming in."

"Y-Yes, sir," Sonny said hesitantly and closed the door.

"Who was that?" Miles asked.

"Can't talk right now," Sonny said as he went into his bedroom and got dressed in his Sonic Phase. He then grabbed a leftover chili-dog out of the fridge and said, "There are two G. U. N. soldiers standing outside and they want to talk to me about the robbery."

Miles' eyes widened. "Do you think they know about Sonic, and suspect that he did it?"

"I don't know," Sonny said as he finished his chili-dog. "But I've got a bad feeling about this."

Immediately, Miles went into his bedroom and brought back a small device shaped like a coin with a pair of fox tails on the cover. "Put this in your pocket. It's a tracking device that'll allow me to see where you're going. If you're in trouble, press the cover and I'll be there in a jiffy."

"Thanks, man," Sonny said, gripping the small device in his palm and then he walked out the door where the G. U. N. soldiers escorted him to a military helicopter that was parked a few blocks away.

###

Inside the helicopter, Sonny was forced to sit on a bench with the two G. U. N. soldiers who brought him standing on either side of him while a third who didn't have a helmet on sat across from him.

"Is anyone going to tell me what this is about?" Sonny asked impatiently.

"Not till we get to the base," the soldier without the helmet said.

"And how long will that take?"

"Two to three hours depending on how good the wind is."

"Well, I hope it's soon because I hate being cooped up in tight places for too long."

Outside the window, the city streets and buildings grew smaller as the helicopter rose into the air. The G. U. N. soldiers were silent, which made Sonny uneasy. So he made a slight cough, causing the soldiers to flinch a little.

"Sorry," Sonny apologized. Then he said, "So, um, does this ride include any snacks or in-flight movies?"

The G. U. N. soldier who didn't wear a helmet shook his head.

"Aw, man," Sonny whined.

"We know how you feel, kid," said the G. U. N. soldier with the paper on Sonny's right. "All the Commander told us was to bring you to the base for questioning on your potential involvement with the jewel robbery, and that was it."

"But I didn't do it," Sonny said. "I had just gotten home from a two-week vacation in South Island."

"You were in South Island?" the tall G. U. N. soldier said with interest on Sonny's left. "I heard Doctor Robotnik was spotted near there."

"Yeah, but G. U. N. took care of him," Sonny fibbed.

"That's not what I heard," argued the G. U. N. soldier without the helmet. "The Colonel who was sent to investigate claimed Doctor Robotnik got away, but The Blue Blur left a submarine made by the Doctor and two roboticized men behind."

"Roboticized?" asked the G. U. N. soldier with the paper.

"You know, turned into robots," replied the G. U. N. soldier without a helmet.

"Wow," the tall G. U. N. soldier responded. "I knew Doctor Robotnik was crazy, but…what's going to happen to them?"

"From what I hear they're being taken to a research facility to see if they can be changed back into humans, but I'm doubtful. Doctor Robotnik's technology is far superior to ours despite all the accomplishments we've made."

"You shouldn't give up just yet," Sonny snapped. "I'm sure they'll find a way."

"You sound awfully optimistic," said the G. U. N. soldier without a helmet. "Now remember, kid, whatever we talk about in this helicopter _stays_ in this helicopter. Promise?"

"Yeah, sure," Sonny said, and pretended to fidget. "Um, is there a bathroom around here?"

"Nope," the tall G. U. N. soldier said. "But we could open the door so you can piss out the side, though I would wait till we're out of the city."

"But I really have to go," Sonny replied, fidgeting more.

The G. U. N. soldier without a helmet sighed. "All right, fine, but make it quick."

"Don't worry, sir, I will be," Sonny replied.

While the G. U. N. soldiers stood up and walked over to the helicopter door to open it, Sonny took a deep breath and rolled towards the door. As he spun he transformed into Sonic which made him spin faster. The G. U. N. soldiers were so surprised that they moved out of the way as Sonic smashed right through the helicopter door and used what was left of it as a skateboard to glide his way down to the ground. The G. U. N. helicopter attempted to turn back, but Sonic was already skating down one of Central City's sloped streets before they got a chance to fire at him. Bystanders and cars alike halted as Sonic zipped by them with bullets coming from the G. U. N. soldiers flying past him.

###

Once he had gotten safely out of the city, Sonic made his way to the seaside cliff hangar where Miles kept _The Tornado_. Using the secret entrance underneath the trail bench, Sonic got inside without any difficulties, and found a fridge full of soda, hotdog and hamburger bread, as well as hamburger and hotdog meat. Next to the fridge was a small stove and microwave. Then on the opposite side was a bathroom.

"Boy, Miles sure thought of everything," Sonic said thoughtfully. Then he suddenly remembered the tracking device and took it out of his pants-pocket. "He's probably on his way as we speak."

"Then we should leave," Sonny said in ethereal form in front of Sonic.

"To where? We're wanted fugitives now, Sonny," Sonic responded.

"And that's why I don't want Miles involved," Sonny replied. "If he helps us, they'll go after him too."

"I see." Sonic looked down at the tracking device. "So until we figure out who actually stole the Chaos Emerald, we should lay low for a while."

"Exactly," Sonny said as he sighed. "Go ahead and destroy that thing."

So Sonic did, and grabbed a couple of sodas and the whole packet of hotdogs and hotdog bread just as he left.

To be continued…


	33. Chapter 33: Encounter

Chapter 33: Encounter

Sonny hung out in the Mystic Ruins till nightfall, then he made his way back to the city as Sonic. There were G. U. N. tanks and soldiers posted on the outskirts, but Sonic managed to slip past them. However, there were ten-foot tall G. U. N. armored mechs patrolling the streets. For this reason, Sonic mostly stuck to the rooftops. However, something was firing missiles at him from behind. This in turn forced Sonic off the roof and into an alleyway below. He then sped from one alleyway to the next, but whatever was following him kept shooting missiles.

"All right," Sonic said, stopping at a vacant roadblock surrounded by wooden crates. "I've had enough of this game of tag. Show yourself!"

In front of him, a yellow, red, and green aircraft flew down from the sky. A pair of mechanical legs appeared from underneath it and its wings turned into arms. Then in a split second the hands turned into mini-guns.

"I see you learned a few tricks from Eggman's robots, G. U. N.," Sonic said. "Now let's see if you fall apart as easily."

The G. U. N. mech fired its mini-guns immediately, which Sonic managed to dodge easily. Next he jumped up on one of the crates and spun rapidly in the air. He hit the G. U. N. mech in this form several times, before it fell apart. Then Sonic jumped away from the mech as it exploded.

"Well, it lasted a little longer than the average Eggman robot," Sonic said as he walked away.

"Hello, Sonic."

Sonic flinched, and looked behind him to see where the deep quiet voice was coming from. On top of the mech stood a boy about his age. He had spiky black hair with red highlights, matching red eyes with slanted pupils, and with black hedgehog ears and a tail. His clothes consisted of a black jacket with white fur trimmings, matching black jeans and white sneakers, and his arms and legs were bound by gold-colored rings.

"Shadow," Sonic said, recognizing the boy immediately. He then noticed a bright green gem in the boy's left hand and his eyes widened. "What are you doing with that Chaos Emerald?"

The boy with the black hair, who was apparently named Shadow, scuffed. "What does it look like?"

Then Sonic realized, "You were the one who stole it from the jewelry store, and now G. U. N. thinks I did it because you're almost as fast as I am! Did Doctor Eggman put you up to this?"

"I don't have time for your stupid questions," Shadow responded. "There are five more Chaos Emeralds waiting to be found."

"Not if I can help it," Sonic said, and ran towards Shadow at increasing speeds.

Before Sonic got to him, Shadow held the Green Chaos Emerald up high and shouted, "Chaos Control!"

In the blink of an eye, Shadow vanished before Sonic got to him. Looking around, Sonic eventually spotted Shadow on a nearby roof. While Sonic scowled, Shadow grinned and tossed the Green Chaos Emerald up and down in his palm.

"You fell for the same trick as before," Shadow said. "Remember? When we first met?"

Sonic froze and thought about it. "Yeah…I do remember."

Shadow caught the Chaos Emerald in mid fall and said, "Judging by that pause, it seems your memories are fragmented like the Doctor's."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic asked.

"I remember everything that happened in our previous lifetime, and that's all I'm going to tell you." Shadow said as he disappeared. "Farewell!"

Then just as Sonic was about to go after Shadow, a bunch of G. U. N. soldiers came out of the nearby alleyways with their guns pointed at Sonic.

" _Don_ _'_ _t move, or we_ _'_ _ll shoot!_ " shouted the G. U. N. soldier who didn't have a helmet on in the helicopter through a megaphone.

Armed drones suddenly circled above Sonic's head and police-cars were pulling up at both ends of the roadblock.

After looking all around, Sonic sighed and said to himself, "This sucks."

###

Later, Sonic found himself inside a dimly lit cell with thick walls and electrified bars. On the other side two guards stood posted on either side of the bars. Their backs were turned to Sonic, and they had automatic weapons at the ready. Then a set of footsteps approached the cell, and the two guards straightened themselves. They saluted to a man whom Sonic immediately recognized as Rouge's father, who was carrying a file labeled 'The Blue Blur'.

"Mr. Baxter?" Sonic said in slight shock.

Rouge's father looked up from the file and snapped it shut. "I take it you learned my alias from your unwilling host Sonny Hedge, Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"Well, if you knew my real name then why'd you keep calling me 'The Blue Blur'?"

"I'm the one who will be asking the questions around here," Mr. Baxter said firmly. "And I would prefer it if you address me as 'Commander' in my presence."

"I could see why Rouge wanted to get away from you this past Christmas. You're a difficult man to be around."

"On the contrary," Mr. Baxter responded. "I ordered Rouge to go with you and your friends on that vacation to observe your behavior and record anything that would be useful to our organization."

"Are you saying that she was working for G. U. N.?" Sonic chuckled. "I don't believe it."

"If you want proof, here are some interesting pictures she took during the trip."

Mr. Baxter then took pictures out of the file and threw them through the bars onto the floor in front of Sonic. The first one showed Sonny, Amelia, and Miles standing in the Chao Garden with their eyes closed. In the second picture, the three were surrounded by three different-colored auras. Then in the last one, it showed Sonic, Amy, and Tails standing in the same place as their hosts.

When Sonic didn't respond, Mr. Baxter took a silver watch out of his coat-pocket and said, "She also recorded an interesting conversation on this recording device."

Mr. Baxter pressed the nob on the side of the watch and Amelia's voice came out of it:

" _Three years ago, Sonny was possessed by a kind of spirit that gave him super-speed and extreme durability. This spirit_ _'_ _s name is Sonic the Hedgehog, though G. U. N. calls him_ _'_ _The Blue Blur_ _'_ _. He_ _'_ _s the one who has been stopping Dr. Robotnik from taking over the world. But Sonic isn_ _'_ _t the only spirit. There are others who have possessed different people and given them powers as well._ "

Before Amelia's voice continued, Mr. Baxter pressed the nob again and there was silence.

Sonic backed against the wall and then he clenched his gloved fists. "What do you want from me?"

"Information," Mr. Baxter replied. "About what exactly you are, whether you're a threat to us or not, and the location of that Chaos Emerald you stole from the jewelry store."

Sonic shook his head. "I don't know what I am, but I'm not a threat and I certainly didn't take that Chaos Emerald. It was Shadow."

"Shadow?" Mr. Baxter raised an eyebrow. "What do you know about him?"

"He's a spirit like me who has possessed someone, though I'm not sure of the identity of his host, with a very complicated past and unpredictable motivation due to his moral ambiguity."

"I see," Mr. Baxter said thoughtfully. "Well, I'd like to make a proposition for you: if you agree to work for me I'll let you go, but you must keep everything we've talked about a secret, including Rouge."

Sonic scuffed. "I would've said, 'yes' but I don't appreciate being kidnapped and thrown into a jail-cell against my will, so I'm going to have to say, 'no.'"

"Very well, then you'll remain here until we learn everything we can about you."

Then Mr. Baxter walked away, causing Sonic to run up to the bars. Forgetting they were electrified, he was zapped and thrown back. The shock caused him to suddenly change back into Sonny, who writhed on the floor in pain.

To be continued…


	34. Chapter 34: Jailbreak

Chapter 34: Jailbreak

"Did you find him at the secret hangar?" Amelia asked Miles on the way their first class of Spring Semester at Central High School.

"Nope, but based on the absence of hotdogs in the fridge he must've been there," Miles replied. "My guess is that Sonny managed to escape G. U. N. and came to the secret hangar, but then he decided it would be too risky to get us involved and so Sonny destroyed the tracking device and went elsewhere."

"That would explain why all these G. U. N. tanks and mechs showed up downtown when I was shopping," Amelia sighed. "I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Miles said assuredly. "He's got Sonic to protect him."

Upon walking into the classroom, Miles and Amelia were surprised to find the television set that was propped up on a corner of the ceiling turned with the sound muted. The teacher held a remote control in her hand while the students poured in. Once everyone was in, the teacher turned to the class and did roll-call.

Upon reading Sonny's name out loud and hearing nothing back, the teacher turned to Miles and asked, "You're good friends with Sonny, right?"

"Yeah," Miles replied.

"Do you know where he is?"

Miles hesitated for a moment and then he said, "I, um, don't know. He left yesterday morning without telling me where he was going and I haven't seen him since."

"I see," the teacher said as she adjusted her glasses. Turning to the rest of the class the teacher said, "Before we begin the first class of the semester, there is going to be an emergency broadcast made by the President of the United Federation that we have been ordered to watch."

The teacher then muted the TV just as a middle-aged man with short brown hair and wearing a blue business suit began to speak.

" _Fellow Federationists_ ," the President said after a brief pause on the screen. " _The mysterious anomaly known as The Blue Blur which has baffled our top scientists for three years was finally caught last night by G. U. N. Subsequently, The Blue Blur was taken to Prison Island for further study despite the amount of heavy damage done to the facility after the notorious Dr. Robotnik broke into it a few days ago. Though the motivation for this vile act remains uncertain, the Commander of G. U. N. speculates that something was taken as Dr. Robotnik hacked into a number of encrypted computer files prior to the break-in and was seen going into the lower vaults by security cameras before they were subsequently destroyed. G. U. N. has also claimed that it was The Blue Blur who was responsible for the mysterious jewel robbery two nights ago because the gem that was stolen is believed to be of supernatural origin by G. U. N_ _'_ _s top researchers and possibly dangerous if it ends up in the wrong hands. Hopefully more will be revealed in G. U. N_ _'_ _s further investigation of The Blue Blur and the files Dr. Robotnik stole but until then, this is the President of the United Federation signing off_."

As the screen shifted back to the anchorwoman on the news channel, the teacher turned the TV off. Most of the students were speechless, including Miles and Amelia. They remained that way all the way through class, even when the bell rang to signal the next period.

###

"Sonic couldn't have taken that Chaos Emerald from the jewelry store," Amelia said during lunch break with Miles. "He wouldn't steal, right?"

"I don't think so," Miles replied. "Though maybe that's how Tails feels."

"We've got to do something," Amelia responded nervously. "Who knows what those G. U. N. researchers will do to him."

"I know, but what are we supposed to do? Break into Prison Island and rescue Sonny?"

Amelia grinned mischievously. "You know, that might actually not be a bad idea."

"Are you crazy? That's the highest-security prison in the entire United Federation! No one has ever broken into it."

"Except for Dr. Eggman."

"But he's a genius mad scientist with an army of robots and gadgets at his disposal. We're just a couple of kids with strange spirits possessing our bodies and an airplane."

"True, but I imagine the island's security is lower than usual because of the amount of damage done during Dr. Eggman's break-in, which would be the perfect opportunity for a 'couple of kids' like us to get in there."

"Well, can't we wait until after school to do this?"

"I say we go now. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to rescue Sonny."

Miles finished his sandwich and then he sighed. "Fine, but you owe me big time if we manage to pull this off."

"Deal!" Amelia smiled.

###

Later at the secret hangar, Miles prepared the biplanefor takeoff. Since the Chaos incident, he had done a few upgrades to the plane and decided to rename it _Tornado 2_ with a new color scheme of yellow and purple. While Amelia excitedly climbed into the backseat of the plane, Miles placed their school bags in a storage compartment on the plane's underside and then he grabbed something off a laboratory-style table before hopping into the pilot's seat.

"What is that?" Amelia asked.

In response, Miles unfolded his fist to reveal a pale yellow Chaos Emerald. "It's a fake Chaos Emerald I created not too long ago, but it gives off the same energy signal and provides almost as much power as a real one."

"Are you going to use it for fuel?"

"No, it would be too risky," Miles said as he put the fake Chaos Emerald in a glove-compartment and took out the Yellow Chaos Emerald. "For now we'll use this."

"Where'd you find it?"

"On the side of the road near the entrance to the secret hangar. Pretty ironic considering it's the same Emerald I used to fuel _T_ _he T_ _ornado_ the first time I flew it with Sonny and Chuck."

"I would've been there if only I hadn't gotten myself kidnapped."

"There's no point in blaming yourself for it, especially since you're about to fly in the _Tornado_ _2_ now."

"Yeah."

The doors to the runway opened as the lights along the track lit up. Miles pressed a few buttons and the _Tornado_ _2_ moved forward. In a matter of seconds, _Tornado_ _2_ was accelerating toward the edge of the ramp but Miles managed to lift the steering-wheel upward which caused _Tornado_ _2_ 's landing gear to vanish underneath the plane and fly into the air. During this time, Amelia was squealing fearfully and then she laughed once they were flying over the sea.

The ocean stretched before Miles and Amelia as the mainland vanished behind them. Then Miles banked _Tornado_ _2_ southwestward and stayed on that course. Eventually, they came to a small island that consisted of a vast jungle with steep cliffs and one lone aircraft carrier.

"According to my plane's sensors, there are three Chaos Emeralds being held here," Miles said. "And I'll bet that's where they're also keeping Sonny."

"Then follow it already," Amelia said impatiently.

So Miles complied and they flew over the jungle toward the source of the signals. However, they were soon met by rapid gunfire coming from below and then a few rockets came hurling towards them. Fortunately, Miles managed to dodge the rockets and swerved _Tornado_ _2_ out of their range.

"You go on ahead and find Sonny!" Miles shouted nervously. "I'll try to find somewhere to land."

"Okay!" Amelia said as she got out of the passenger seat. Miles then gave her a small tracking device before she jumped out of the plane.

Immediately, Amelia summoned the Piko Hammer and transformed into Amy. After doing a few midair spins to dodge the incoming gunfire, Amy eventually landed on the bottom-half of the hammer while holding onto the staff of it. The G. U. N. soldiers were too busy shooting at Miles to see Amy running past them at a speed that was almost as fast as Sonic's but not quite. She soon reached a large steel building with several armed guards shooting at something that zipped past them. Thinking it was Sonic, Amy ran to join the fight. However, the guards were soon knocked out, and the thing that did it was not Sonic but Shadow. Amy stopped running just as Shadow turned to face her.

"Shadow," Amy said in mild shock. "What are you doing here?"

Before Shadow could answer, a loud clanking sound shook the ground. Amy turned around and saw Dr. Eggman piloting a sizable mech. She attempted to run away, but Dr. Eggman immediately intervened.

"Where do you think you're going, Amy?" Dr. Eggman said maliciously. "I assume you're here to rescue your boyfriend?"

Amy blushed angrily. "Sonic, yes, but Sonny's not my boyfriend."

"Even though they are the same person?"

"Ugh, I don't have time for your stupid mind-games," Amy said as she lifted the Piko Hammer in a swinging position. "If you're going to prevent me from rescuing Sonic, then I will pulverize you till your machine is nothing more than a pile of scrap-metal!"

Dr. Eggman chuckled then said, "Shadow, go ahead to the armory and set the detonator for ten minutes. I'll take care of this pest!"

Shadow nodded and ran off into the jungle. Meanwhile, Eggman circled around Amy till he was blocking the entrance to the building. Amy immediately charged forward and then she leaped into the air to strike Dr. Eggman inside his cockpit. Unfortunately, a metallic lid covered Dr. Eggman causing the Piko Hammer to strike solid metal instead of flesh and bone. Unfazed, Amy struck the metal covering again, but it didn't dent. Then she was picked off by one of the mech's mechanical arms and flung to the side. Amy landed rolling on the concrete floor with a few scratches, but her Piko Hammer was to far away for her to reach. As Dr. Eggman closed in, another mech fell out of the sky and landed in front of him that was purple and yellow.

"Tails!" Amy said, recognizing the pilot of the purple and yellow mech. "I didn't know the _Tornado 2_ could turn into a mech."

"So you've picked up a few new tricks, Tails," Dr. Eggman said snidely. "I'm impressed."

"Oh, yeah, wait till you see what it does!" Tails responded. Then he looked over his shoulder at Amy. "Amy, get inside the prison and free Sonic. I'll keep Eggman distracted."

"I'm on it," Amy said, and sped past Eggman into the prison entrance.

###

Meanwhile inside the prison, Sonny was pacing impatiently back and forth in his cell when a pink-colored blur came crashing down from the ceiling. It startled the two guards but then before they could fire their guns a pink hammer knocked them out cold. The wielder of this hammer was none other than Amy, who smiled when she saw Sonny staring at her wide-eyed.

"Have no fear, Sonny," Amy said before Sonny could speak and changed back into Amelia. "Amelia's here!"

"Amy — I mean, Amelia," Sonny said correcting himself. "How did you get here?"

"I came with Miles in his new plane," Amelia answered as she took a key-card off of one of the unconscious guards. "This morning the President of the United Federation announced that you stole the Chaos Emerald from the jewelry store, but I didn't believe it and so me and Miles came to rescue you."

"All right," Sonny said with relief. "I was starting to go crazy in this nuthouse. Not only is the head of G. U. N. Rouge's father but Rouge is also a G. U. N. agent and it was she who told G. U. N. about Sonic."

Amelia's hands went limp. "Wait, so you're saying that Rouge ratted out on us?"

"Yep," Sonny nodded. "She took pictures of us when we transformed in the Chao Garden and secretly recorded the private conversation you had with her to explain our situation."

In response, Amelia clenched the key-card so tight that it crumbled to pieces in her hand. "When I see that traitorous minx again, I'm going to give her a beating she'll never forget!"

"Amelia! You just crushed the key-card," Sonny exclaimed.

"Not to worry," Amelia said picking a similar-looking card off of the other unconscious guard. "The other guard has another."

"Okay, now will you please let me out?"

"Only if you promise to take me out on a date once everything's been settled."

"What?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been having these…romantic feelings lately. I'm not sure if it's me or Amy's feelings for Sonic, but nevertheless I want to at least go on one date with you to see if my feelings are genuine or not."

"Um, ok, I'll do it."

Amelia smiled and slid the card through the slot next to the cell, causing the electricity flowing through the bars to die down and the cell-door to open automatically. Sonny stepped out nervously, and then he looked down the hallway. There were no guards in sight, and then the intercom went on with the Mr. Baxter's voice blaring over it.

" _Attention all personnel! An intruder has been spotted! We will proceed by commencing a lockdown of the entire facility! This is not a drill, I repeat, not a drill!_ "

"We got to get out of here," Sonny said as he transformed into Sonic. "And fast!"

Amelia followed his lead and changed into Amy. Together, they jumped up into the ventilation shaft that Amy used to get in and they quickly crawled their way through it. Eventually they came to the front entrance which was locked, forcing them onto the roof of the building. Unfortunately, there weren't too many guards posted and they didn't seem to notice Sonic and Amy at the moment.

"By the way, Sonic," Amy said quietly. "I ran into Shadow on my way into the prison."

Sonic flinched and looked at Amy with a determined expression. "Did he say where he was going?"

"Dr. Eggman told him to go to the armory to set off some detonators, and then he took off into the jungle northwest from the prison."

Upon hearing those words, Sonic took off in the same direction Shadow went before Amy could stop him.

To be continued…


	35. Chapter 35: Countdown

Chapter 35: Countdown

It wasn't long before Sonic was being pursued by G. U. N. mechs and airborne drones that fired constantly at his back. Fortunately, he managed to avoid getting shot and put enough distance between him and the G. U. N. forces. After some time, Sonic came into a small clearing where he immediately spotted Shadow running towards him.

"Shadow!" Sonic shouted.

Immediately, Shadow halted and gritted his teeth. "Out of my way, Sonic."

"Not till you answer a few questions first," Sonic replied. "Why have you joined forces with Dr. Eggman and what did you mean by 'our previous lifetime'?"

"I need Dr. Eggman to accomplish my mission and he wants something I have," Shadow answered. "Also, hasn't it occurred to you by now that we're just dead spirits inhabiting the bodies of living individuals?"

"I…I figured that was a possibility, but—

"Well, it's true. Now step aside or do I have to make you?"

"Bring it on, faker!"

Shadow disappeared immediately and reappeared in front of Sonic where he punched him in the face. Sonic was thrown backward, but he managed to jump upward before the next blow hit. Then he curled up into a ball while spinning and tried to land on Shadow, but like before Shadow disappeared and reappeared a few feet away.

 _That_ _'_ _s right_ , Sonic thought to himself as he landed awkwardly on the ground. _Shadow can teleport short distances naturally, but he needs a Chaos Emerald to warp longer distances. Now if I can just strike him when he reappears immediately after disappearing, this battle will be over in no time!_

"What are you waiting for, Sonic?" Shadow said impatiently. "This pointless battle is starting to bore me."

After Shadow disappeared again, Sonic waited for him to show up again. As soon as he did, Sonic dashed over in a second and punched Shadow in the gut. The impact caused Shadow to stagger back, and so Sonic went for a high-kick. But Shadow warped again and appeared behind Sonic. He kicked Sonic in the back of the head with enough force to send Sonic flying into the bushes on the edge of the clearing, but Sonic recovered and dashed towards Shadow in a blue blur. Shadow reciprocated and attacked Sonic in a black blur, causing the two to collide with each other. This continued for several moments until both boys stopped and stared at each other while panting heavily.

The silence was interrupted by Dr. Eggman's voice emanating from the red and yellow walkie-talkie that was clipped to the side of Shadow's black jeans. " _Shadow, where the heck are you? The detonators are going to explode in five minutes! We need to get off the island now!_ "

Shadow picked up the walkie-talkie and answered it. "I'm not leaving without Rouge."

" _Forget her!_ " Dr. Eggman replied. " _The prison started its lockdown sequence and she_ _'_ _s trapped inside with no way out._ "

"She has the Chaos Emeralds, Doctor, and our plan would be ruined without them."

Before Dr. Eggman could respond, Shadow turned off the walkie-talkie and ran off toward the prison. Sonic was tempted to go after him, but Eggman's words haunted him. So he ran all over the island looking for Amy and Tails until he came to a place called Metal Harbor. There, the _Tornado 2_ was preparing for takeoff on one of the aircraft launch-pads with Amy and Tails inside it. Sonic quickly traversed across the harbor while destroying G. U. N. drones and avoiding incoming fighter jets before he landed on the top wing of the plane.

"Sonic!" Amy exclaimed.

"The island's about to blow up, Tails, so let's get going!" Sonic said urgently.

"All right, Sonic, we're out of here!" Tails said and pushed the steering-wheel forward.

Immediately, the plane took off down the launch-pad at accelerating speed until it finally became airborne. The G. U. N. fighter jets immediately followed them and fired their missiles at the _Tornado 2_. Sonic was about to attack them when a series of explosions occurred all across the island. The fighter jets noticed and flew back toward the island which allowed the _Tornado 2_ to get away without being followed.

###

Back at the secret hangar, Sonny and Miles were watching the latest news report on the events that occurred earlier that day while Amelia was taking a shower in the bathroom.

" _The sudden explosions that occurred on Prison Island today were caused by none other than the notorious Dr. Robotnik, who was spotted attacking soldiers in an armed mech and his trademark insignia of a cartoonish profile of himself was found on the remnants of the detonators that caused the explosions in the first place_ ," said the anchorwoman over images of the burning island. " _At the same time, the mysterious Blue Blur managed to escape Prison Island after he was taken in the previous day to be studied and questioned by G. U. N. to learn about his true nature and connection to the unusual jewel robbery that occurred two nights ago. But the Commander of G. U. N. has hinted that The Blue Blur may have had an accomplice who helped him escape as this security footage from the prison shows._ "

On the screen, it showed Amy appearing through the ventilation shaft in a pink blur and knocking out the two guards with her back turned toward the security camera. Then after a brief transition, it showed Sonic and Amy running through a closing door as a blue and pink blur respectfully. Over this footage, the anchorwoman commented on the action and tried to explain what was happening, but she sounded slightly baffled.

"If they saw Amelia rescuing you, then the cameras must've seen your faces at some point," Miles said before he took another bite out of the burger he made for himself.

"I'm sure they did, but G. U. N. is probably withholding that footage because they're not sure how the public will react to our existence," Sonny said as he ate his burger. "And by that I mean the existence of Sonic and his friends' spirits."

"You make it sound like as if they're dead."

"Well, that's what Shadow said."

"But can you really trust what he says? He's working for Dr. Eggman, after all."

"I know, but I get the impression from Sonic that Shadow's not really evil. Plus, we have to think about the person Shadow's spirit is possessing."

"Yeah, I feel sorry for whoever it is."

"Who are you sorry for?" Amelia said, stepping out of the bathroom with her clothes on and her hair wrapped up in a towel.

Before Miles could answer, the TV suddenly turned yellow and the insignia of Dr. Eggman appeared before the man himself appeared on the screen.

" _People of the planet Mobius_ ," Dr. Eggman said with a mischievous grin. " _You are all my prisoners unless you acknowledge me as your absolute ruler. But before you dismiss my threat, I should let you know that I have a giant laser cannon that is orbiting the planet as we speak. With such a powerful weapon at my disposal, I could destroy Mobius in an instant! To demonstrate the power of this laser which I speak of, I shall blow off a chunk of the moon!_ "

The screen went black and then after a few minutes a blue screen appeared with a series of numbers counting down from the number '24:00:00:00' and Dr. Eggman's voice speaking over them.

" _Your world leaders have twenty-four hours to decide the fate of their planet. If they do not comply to my demands, then it will be the end for all of you. Bye-bye!_ "

Then the screen switched back to the anchorwoman who was mildly shocked until she suddenly touched her small earpiece and said, " _This just in! The moon has been blown up just as Dr. Robotnik had said! Fortunately, only a third of it went flying into space while the rest remained intact. Scientists predict that the fragment of the moon will eventually collapse into smaller pieces and drift through space but not impact Mobius directly. Of course, there is the possibility that the smallest pieces might rain down on the planet as meteors and cause fairly sizable craters, but the biggest question right now is what the world leaders will decide by the time the twenty-four hours are up._ "

As she spoke, the screen switched to several satellite images of the moon with a large piece of it slowly drifting away.

"This can't be happening," Amelia said as she staggered.

Sonny dashed over to her in an instant and she collapsed in his arms.

"What are we going to do?" Amelia said with tears in her eyes. "We're doomed!"

As Amelia cried into Sonny's chest, Sonny said, "Not yet. We have a day to find out where Dr. Eggman is hiding and once we do, I'm going to destroy that laser of his!"

"But Sonny, we don't even know where to start," Miles said. "And we don't have much time on our hands."

"Then what do you suggest?" Sonny said impatiently. "That we sit around and wait for the world to end?"

Miles scratched his head for a few seconds and then he said, "I've got an idea! But it's going to be extremely risky and may have strong repercussions depending on how things turn out."

"Let's hear it," Sonny said. "Any plan's better than no plan."

To be continued…


	36. Chapter 36: Interception

Chapter 36: Interception

"Are you sure this'll work, Miles?" Amelia said skeptically as she watched the _Tornado 2_ transform from a plane into a small car on a side-road next to the bridge that spanned across the bay and into Central City. It had been three hours since Dr. Eggman made his sinister broadcast and the sun was slightly past the apex.

"Well, it's the best chance we've got," Miles replied. "If we can convince the President of the United Federation that we're not a threat to his nation, then he might be able to persuade the Commander of G. U. N. to help us locate the hidden base Dr. Eggman used to transport the remaining six Chaos Emeralds up to the laser cannon in space and where the broadcast was probably transmitted from."

"What makes you say that the Chaos Emeralds are with the laser cannon?"

"My Emerald Detector isn't picking up the signals of the other Emeralds, so I assume that they're in space."

Then Miles paused as he listened to a walkie-talkie shaped device. His eyes widened, and so he fiddled with the dial. Meanwhile, Amelia was startled when Chuck suddenly appeared from underneath a sewer cap.

"Whoops, I guess I must've taken a wrong turn in the Aquatic Mines," Chuck said to himself.

He was about to go back down when Amelia suddenly grabbed him by his newly straightened hair and pulled him out of the sewer. "Hold on a minute, Chuck. Where the heck have you been lately? We haven't heard from you for days."

"It's a long story," Chuck said with mild embarrassment. "But the gist of it is that Rouge is one of us, has a spirit named Rouge the Bat possessing her, and she stole the Master Emerald from me two days ago. I followed her, and then Dr. Eggman came out of nowhere and tried to take the Emerald for himself. So out of desperation, I smashed the Master Emerald into pieces. This caused Dr. Eggman to leave and Rouge decided to go after the Master Emerald pieces, but I vowed to find them first."

"So did you find them all?" Amelia said after a brief hesitation.

"I've found most of them, but there are still some pieces missing which I think are with Rouge."

"Hey, Sonic!" Miles said, calling him on a headset without paying attention to what Chuck or Amelia were saying. "Have you located the President's limo yet?"

" _Affirmative_ ," Sonic replied. " _He_ _'_ _s just leaving the White House. Should I follow him?_ "

"Yes, but don't enter his car until I get there," Miles answered.

" _Why?_ "

"There's been a change of plans. The Intercepter Radio I made has been picking up several phone-calls from Dr. Eggman to the other world leaders who are on their way to the emergency meeting the United Federation President is heading to."

" _Can you trace Dr. Eggman_ _'_ _s calls to their source?_ "

"Unfortunately, they're too far away for me to directly trace. But if my calculations are correct, the President of the United Federation should be getting a call from Dr. Eggman in the next sixty-seconds. So if we can catch the President as he's talking to Dr. Eggman, I could trace the call to its source from there."

" _All right, then let_ _'_ _s rock and roll!_ "

Then Miles pressed the stick-shift forward and drove off down the main road across the bridge at top speed before Amelia had the chance to explain everything she heard from Chuck.

###

" _So what will it be, Mr. President?_ " Dr. Eggman said inside the television screen in the United Federation President's limo. " _Your loyalty, or your planet?_ "

The President hesitated to answer, when a voice said, "No way, Dr. Eggman!"

This drew the President's attention to the window, where he saw a blue blur running alongside the limo. Next, the blue blur jumped into the air and landed inside the limo through the open sun-roof. Then a few seconds later, a yellow blur followed behind the blue one and appeared right next to the TV out of Dr. Eggman's line of vision.

"Those choices sound lame! I'm going to smash that laser cannon of yours before you even get the chance to fire it!" Sonic said, kneeling with his back to the President.

" _Curse you, Sonic!_ " Dr. Eggman grumbled, and hung up.

"What on Mobius is going on?" the President said nervously.

"Not to worry, Mr. President," Sonic said assuredly, then he glanced over at Tails. "Did you trace the call?"

"Sure did," Tails replied waving the Intercepter Radio triumphantly in his hand. "The signal came from the Space Colony ARK through a receiver located somewhere in the desert near Wild Canyon."

"Good work, Tails, now let's get going!" Sonic said, and jumped out of the car.

After Tails followed Sonic, the two of them got into the _Tornado 2_ and sped off down the street while the President lay speechless in his chair. A few seconds passed before the President noticed a piece of paper lying on the floor of his limo that wasn't there before. He picked it up and unfolded the paper, which had the insignia of a blue hedgehog face, and read:

 _Dear Mr. President,_

 _I did not steal that gemstone from the jewelry store like the media says, but it would take too long to explain in this letter. If I succeed in my mission, I will tell the Commander of G. U. N. everything he wants to know about me, my kind, and the truth behind the robbery. However, if I fail, then at least I died saving the world._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Blue Blur_

###

A few hours later, Sonny and his friends were standing on the edge of a cliff that overlooked a vast desert below them. The setting sun illuminated a large pyramid that stood off in the distance like an island in the vast ocean of sand. Then through a pair of binoculars Miles provided, Sonny could see a bunch of Eggman's robots circling around the base of the pyramid in a rhythmic pattern.

"This sure looks like the place," Sonny remarked, handing the binoculars to Amelia.

"It has to be," Chuck said folding his arms. "I saw Rouge follow Dr. Eggman into the pyramid."

"But why would she follow Dr. Eggman if her main interest was to collect the Master Emerald shards?" Amelia asked out loud.

"Well if she's an agent for G. U. N., then maybe the Commander ordered her to follow Dr. Eggman," Miles answered. "I mean, that would explain why we haven't seen Rouge since she was picked up at the airport by her dad."

"Or she's decided to join Dr. Eggman," Sonny said. "I remember Shadow mentioning her before he ran off from our fight, so I think she was involved in that attack on Prison Island."

"But she could be pretending to work for Dr. Eggman in order to keep an eye on him for G. U. N.," Miles suggested.

"Guys, can we save the speculation for later?" Chuck abruptly said. "The sun's going down, and the countdown to potential worldwide destruction is ticking."

"Right," Miles said, and got into the _Tornado 2_. After changing it into a mech again, he said, "I'll go look for a way in. The rest of you follow my lead."

As he launched the _Tornado 2_ down into the desert below, Sonny Amelia and Chuck followed after him as they changed into Sonic Amy and Knuckles respectfully. While Sonic and Amy plowed through the desert sands at top speed, Knuckles glided above it on a strong air current that blew in the direction of the pyramid. Meanwhile, Miles quickly changed into Tails as he engaged the patrolling robots with gunfire and missiles. The others helped him along the way, and soon they stood at the entrance to Eggman's Hidden Base.

"It sure looks dark in there," Sonic said as he peered into the dark tunnel before him. "Maybe I should go first."

"You go on ahead, Sonic," Amy said, removing her shoes to let the sand fall out of them. "I'll catch up to you."

"Same here," Tails said. "I want to make sure that we're not being followed by G. U. N."

"I'll be right behind you every step of the way," Knuckles said in response.

"Okay, Knuckles, then let's go," Sonic said and dashed into the dark tunnel.

###

Once all the robots were cleared, Amy and Tails followed down the same path Sonic and Knuckles took. They eventually met up with them inside, and came to a locked door with Eggman's face on it. Tails immediately got out of the _Tornado 2_ and examined the door carefully.

"We'll need three keys to get in," Tails said. "And I bet they're hidden somewhere in this base."

"Knuckles, weren't you a treasure hunter or something?" Sonic said glancing at Knuckles.

"I think so," Knuckles replied. "Then again, if I can find Master Emerald pieces that have been spread across the world, how hard could it be to find three keys inside an oversized temple?"

"That's the spirit," Sonic replied. "I'll help you look for them."

Then the two boys took off down an adjacent corridor.

"Tails," Amy said after a while. "Doesn't it seem odd to you that we're not being followed by G. U. N. soldiers? I mean, Sonic's a wanted fugitive and I guess we're fugitives too for helping him escape Prison Island."

"It is odd, but I think I know why," Tails said. "If the Commander has received the note Sonic gave to the President by this point, he's probably holding back his forces for the time being."

"But why would he do that?"

"If we succeed in stopping Dr. Eggman, then he'll have the opportunity to arrest us as soon as we return to Mobius. But in case we fail there would be no point in expending G. U. N. resources to follow us around."

"Or it could be that the President trusts Sonic's word and has ordered the Commander to not follow us so that we may attempt to stop Dr. Eggman without any interference."

"Yeah, that's a possibility."

"So how do you think Sonic is going to explain our situation to the President when we don't fully understand it ourselves?"

"I'm not sure, though there might be some truth to what Shadow told Sonic."

"What did he say?"

"Do you really want to know? It might shock you."

"Try me."

"Hey, guys!" Sonic shouted abruptly as he ran towards Amy and Tails from the same adjacent corridor with Knuckles following behind him. "We found the keys!"

"Was it hard?" Tails asked.

"Not really," Knuckles said as he handed a set of three giant gold keys to Tails. "But there were a lot of ghosts lurking around. Fortunately, I managed to beat their leader and that seemed to scare the remaining small-fry off."

"What were you going to say, Tails?" Amy asked. "About what Shadow told Sonic?"

"Not now, Amy," Tails said as he took the keys over to the giant door. "I need to concentrate."

After Amy closed her mouth, Tails proceeded to place the keys in their respective key-holes. There was a loud _click_ followed by a groaning sound as the stone door slid upward. Inside was a circular chamber lit by a ring of torches with a large gaping hole in the center. On the other side of the hole, a sliding mechanical door opened to reveal Dr. Eggman sitting in his Egg Mobile with a wide grin on his face.

"Eggman!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Did you really think you could sneak into my base without me knowing about it?" Dr. Eggman said. "Now if you could just hand me the last Chaos Emerald, I'll let you go free."

"Not a chance!" Tails said as he flew back into the seat of the _Tornado 2_.

"Then you'll have to die!" Dr. Eggman said and closed the sliding door in front of him.

There was a loud rumbling sound, and a large stone statue appeared from the gaping hole in the center of the room with red robot eyes glaring down at Sonic who immediately charged at it.

To be continued…


	37. Chapter 37: Liftoff

Chapter 37: Liftoff

While Sonic and Knuckles were busy fighting the robot golem, Amy and Tails made their way around it to go after Dr. Eggman. After passing through the sliding door, they found themselves in a large chamber where a space shuttle was positioned in the center with its nose pointing towards the roof of the pyramid. Meanwhile Dr. Eggman steered the Egg Mobile into a device that looked like an elevator and, upon seeing Amy and Tails, he immediately pressed a button on the inside. Before Amy and Tails could reach him, Dr. Eggman disappeared in a veil of light that lit up the elevator-like device in a matter of seconds.

"Where did Dr. Eggman go?" Amy asked in a bewildered tone.

"I'm not sure," Tails responded, and examined the device thoroughly. He then stepped inside and tried to press the same button Dr. Eggman pushed, but nothing happened.

This in turn worried Amy. "What's wrong, Tails?"

"According to my calculations, this is some kind of teleportation device that Dr. Eggman made to get up to the ARK more easily. However, the device doesn't seem to be working at the moment which leads me to suspect that Dr. Eggman must've jammed it so we wouldn't follow him."

"But if he had a teleportation device, then why did he build the rocket?"

"Probably in case the teleporter malfunctioned for some reason, and that's what we're going to use to get up to the ARK."

Amy briefly glanced up at the space shuttle and then she said, "So what were you about to say earlier, regarding what Shadow told Sonic?"

Tails hesitated, and then he heard the sliding stone door open.

"Hey, guys!" Sonic cried, walking through the sliding door with a triumphant grin on his face. "What'd I miss?"

Behind him, Knuckles tossed the motionless head of the stone golem between his two gloved hands in a playful manner.

"Well," Tails said as he scratched the back of his neck. "Dr. Eggman got away in a teleportation device, which he subsequently sabotaged in order to prevent us from following him, and so we'll have to use the space shuttle."

"Do you think you could pilot that thing?" Knuckles said, glancing at the shuttle with awe. "It looks more complicated than an airplane."

"I think I can handle it," Tails beamed. "Something tells me I've done this before."

"If you say so," Sonic said. "Then let's launch and get to the ARK already!"

"But we can't launch right now, Sonic," Tails said as he looked at his watch. "It's eight o'clock in the evening. No one ever does shuttle launches at night."

"Why not?"

"Because it would be too risky. We'll have to wait till tomorrow morning."

"So you're saying we're going to have to spend the night here?" Knuckles said nervously. "I sure hope those ghosts we defeated don't come back to haunt us."

"If it'll make you guys feel safer, we'll sleep in the shuttle tonight," Tails said assuredly. "There are bound to be sleeping and food supplies in there."

After placing the _Tornado 2_ and Master Emerald shards into the shuttle's cargo-hold, Sonic and the others went into the shuttle's flight deck for an awkward food-paste dinner and a long restless sleep.

###

The next day, Sonic went to the control panel to start the launch sequence while everyone else stayed in the flight deck. Tails sat in the captain's seat and counted down from the predetermined time which was four minutes. During this time, Sonic opened the roof the pyramid, which showed a cloudless midmorning sky. Then once Tails reached zero, Sonic pressed the button to launch the shuttle and dashed quickly out of the control panel and onto the bridge that led to the open door of the flight deck. The minute he got inside, the door slammed behind him and the shuttle launched into the air. Sonic was pressed against the floor by the immense pressure that followed, while the others were thrown back in their seats.

As Sonic struggled to get into his seat, the shuttle continued its steady climb towards space. Eventually, the rocket boosters fell off while the external tank stayed on. By this point, Sonic had managed to buckle into his seat and changed back into Sonny out of exhaustion. Then after the external tank's fuel ran out, the shuttle broke free and allowed Tails to take over. Up above them floated a large semi-spherical object with a nose-shaped laser-cannon and two circular buildings that resembled eyes on the flat part of it that was outlined by whisker-shaped flaps.

"That must be the ARK," Sonny said as he quickly changed back into Sonic. "And I see Dr. Eggman has already redecorated it."

"I don't think so," Tails argued. "The face doesn't look as menacing as the one that was on the E. G. G. Station, unless…of course!"

"Unless what?" Sonic asked.

"Tails, look out!" Amy said, pointing to an asteroid that heading straight towards them.

Immediately, Tails steered the shuttle below the asteroid. While the asteroid passed harmlessly above them, the shuttle's cargo-hold was dangerously close to the asteroid's underside. So when Tails flew out from underneath the asteroid, the cargo-hold smashed against the asteroid and caused the cargo doors to swing open. Everyone inside was shaken up by the impact, including Knuckles.

"What just happened?" Knuckles asked.

"I think the shuttle's cargo-hold hit the bottom part of the asteroid, causing the cargo doors to open," Tails answered.

"But that's where the _Tornado 2_ and Master Emerald shards are," Sonic exclaimed.

"Not to worry, Sonic. I securely fastened the _Tornado 2_ before we launched," Tails said calmly and looked back at Knuckles. "Did you do the same to the Master Emerald shards, Knuckles?"

"I, uh, didn't," Knuckles said lowering his head.

"Can't we just turn this thing around and get them back?" Amy suggested.

"We'd be wasting fuel if we did," Tails said coldly. "And if we want to get back home alive then we're going to need to use every ounce of fuel wisely."

"Then maybe you would have a better chance if there was one less person onboard," Knuckles said, and got up from his seat.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sonic said eying Knuckles suspiciously.

"I'm getting my Master Emerald pieces back," Knuckles replied, shoving Sonic so hard that he fell to the floor. "And none of you are going to stop me."

Then without warning, Knuckles opened the hatch to the cargo-hold and he was immediately sucked out into the vacuum of space. Tails turned the shuttle around and they all saw Knuckles gliding through space toward the asteroid. Immediately, Tails was about to steer the shuttle forward when Sonic pinched his shoulder.

"Let him go, Tails," Sonic said. "We'll come back for him when our business is done onboard the ARK."

"But how is he surviving in space?" Amy said as Tails turned the shuttle back toward the ARK. "That's not physically possible, right?"

"By human standards, yes, but maybe we're creatures who can survive in space without protection," Tails speculated. "Therefore, as long as we're possessing these bodies, they can survive in space without protection too."

"I suppose that's the only explanation for why Knuckles confidently left the ship without putting on a spacesuit," Sonic said, and then he smirked. "Or he was just being a knucklehead as usual."

"Sonic!" Amy exclaimed and jabbed Sonic in the shoulder hard.

To be continued…


	38. Chapter 38: Fake

Chapter 38: Fake

Once Tails had turned the shuttle around, he steered it straight for the ARK at full speed. In a few minutes, the shuttle approached one of the docking bays located on the far left of the nose-shaped laser. Tails looked down at the computer-screen next to the steering-wheel and after several minutes of typing, the docking bay doors opened allowing the shuttle to enter.

"What'd you do, Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Just a little hacking," Tails replied casually. "I temporarily shut down the security system and remotely opened the docking bay doors. However, there's a backup system that'll kick on in a few minutes so we'll need to hustle out of the shuttle as soon as it lands."

"Sounds like a plan."

As the shuttle quietly flew inside the docking bay, the doors closed behind them at a slow but steady pace. Then as soon as the shuttle landed on one of the landing strips, Sonic and Amy opened the flight deck door and ran behind the nearest pile of crates. Meanwhile, Tails went into the open cargo-hold, unlatched the _Tornado 2_ mech, and climbed into it. Next, he piloted it towards the nearest door and, after pressing a few keys on a nearby keypad with the mech's robotic hand, managed to open it. Sonic and Amy quickly slipped through it while Tails brought up the rear. The door closed behind them and they were soon standing in a dim-lit hallway.

"Not a very cheerful-looking place," Amy noted. "It looks rundown and dusty."

"Well, according to my research, the ARK was shut down fifty years ago due to some kind of accident that occurred here," Tails said. "While it was still functional, the ARK served as the world's most advanced research facility and it was led by Gerard Robotnik who was Dr. Robotnik's grandfather."

"Well, that does explain why the face on the ARK reminded me of Eggman," Sonic said wearily. "Was he a mad genius too?"

"Far from it," Tails replied. "He was a scientific genius, and so was his grandson before the spirit of Eggman possessed him."

"Oh, really," Amy said thoughtfully. "What was Dr. Robotnik like before Eggman's spirit possessed him?"

Tails cleared his throat and said, "Based on the articles I read, Dr. Ivo Robotnik taught robotics at the Central City University for a long time and wrote a number of award-winning theses on the subject. He was generally liked by colleagues and students alike for his eccentricity and superior intellect. Then four years ago he was doing research on robotization and after a mental breakdown during one of his lectures, Dr. Robotnik disappeared and the rest is history."

"I bet it was during that lecture when Eggman's spirit took over," Sonic said. "I wonder if Dr. Robotnik himself is aware of it."

"We won't know unless we ask him, but in the meantime we've got to stop that laser cannon from being fired again," Tails said and showed Amy and Sonic a visual layout of the entire ARK. "Since the cannon is protected externally, we're going to have to destroy it from the inside."

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Sonic asked.

"I'll head for the main power source and shut it down temporarily. But before I turn the power back on, Sonic will need to head into the control room and insert this fake Chaos Emerald I made into the device where the Chaos Emeralds are kept." As he spoke, Tails reached into the glove compartment and pulled out the dull yellow Chaos Emerald he showed as Miles the day before.

"What's that going to do?" Amy asked.

"Once the fake Chaos Emerald is inserted into place, it'll reverse the energy flow of the other Chaos Emeralds and essentially explode thus rendering the laser cannon completely useless," Tails answered. "Pretty cool for a last-minute reprogramming I did to it last night, huh?"

"Yeah," Sonic said enthusiastically, and took off running down the hallway in a straight path.

Meanwhile, Tails steered the mech into a branching hallway, which left Amy all alone.

"Hey, what about me?" Amy whined, following in Tails' direction.

###

A few minutes later, Sonic was in the control room which was a large circular room with a computer standing in front a towering object where six of the seven Chaos Emeralds were nestled neatly into.

"All right, Tails," Sonic said, talking into a walkie-talkie he took from the pocket of his shorts. "I'm in the control room. Have you shut down the power yet?"

" _Um, about that,_ " Tails said hesitantly. " _I was just about to shut down the power when Dr. Eggman came out of nowhere and grabbed Amy, who had been following me the entire time. Naturally, I went after him but he said he_ _'_ _d only let Amy go if we gave him the Chaos Emerald._ "

"I see," Sonic said, and looked down at the dull yellow Chaos Emerald. "Where is he holding her?"

" _In a research lab, where you could see the planet from_."

"I'm on my way."

Then with resolve, Sonic sped away from the control room and eventually came to a sliding door labeled 'Research lab: Do Not Enter Unless You Have Permission from the Supervisor'. Ignoring the sign, Sonic stepped towards the door which automatically opened. On the other side was a large room with a giant window which Dr. Eggman stood at in his mechanized Egg Mobile as he used one of the mech's robotic arms to point a gun at Amy. Tails stood nearby in his mech, and turned his head towards Sonic.

"I'm sure Tails filled you in on the details," Dr. Eggman said. "Now place the Chaos Emerald down in the center of the room."

"As you wish," Sonic said, and walked toward Dr. Eggman with the fake Chaos Emerald in hand.

Dr. Eggman raised an eyebrow. "No tricks this time?"

"No tricks," Sonic said convincingly.

As Sonic stepped into the center of the room, Dr. Eggman grinned and pressed a button. This caused Sonic to suddenly get encapsulated inside a glass tube, which surprised both Amy and Tails. Sonic tried to break free, but the glass was harder than he thought.

"Did you really think I would be fooled by a fake Chaos Emerald?" Dr. Eggman said confidently. "It doesn't have the same luster that a real one has, but all the same I congratulate whoever created the forgery."

"I did it," Tails said. "Now let Sonic go."

Dr. Eggman chuckled in response. "So it was a fake after all. Thanks for the clarification, Tails."

While Tails was stunned, Dr. Eggman pressed another button, and the glass tube disappeared beneath the floor with Sonic inside. Amy looked behind her and outside the window she saw a small tube flying out into space towards Mobius. Then once it was a few miles from the ARK, the glass tube exploded in a sudden but brief burst of fire.

"SONIC!" Amy cried.

"Sonic," Tails said, still stunned.

Dr. Eggman pressed the gun against the back of Amy's head and looked back at Tails. "Now that my greatest adversary and his annoying human host are out of the picture, let's settle this business transaction, shall we? Give me the real Chaos Emerald, Tails, and Amy can go free."

"Never!" Tails abruptly yelled, and armed his mech with a laser cannon. "If you want the Chaos Emerald, then you'll have to take it from me!"

To be continued…


	39. Chapter 39: Payback

Chapter 39: Payback

Prior to its explosion, Sonic was getting knocked around the glass capsule as it launched into space. Then by chance he hit the bottom part of it and caused the floor of the capsule to loosen. Out of curiosity, he looked inside and saw sticks of dynamite with a timer counting down from sixty-seconds.

 _Crap, I_ _'_ _ve got to get out of here_ , Sonic thought, then he looked down at the fake Chaos Emerald. _I_ _'_ _m not sure if this_ _'_ _ll work, but it_ _'_ _s the best chance I_ _'_ _ve got at the moment_.

Clenching the fake Chaos Emerald tightly in his hand, Sonic concentrated really hard. In his mind, Sonic pictured himself being inside the hallway outside the docking bay where the shuttle resided. He felt a strange sensation, and then when he opened his eyes Knuckles was helping him up.

"What happened to you?" Knuckles asked. "You just appeared out of nowhere and—

"I did it," Sonic muttered as he looked around and saw himself standing in the hallway he visualized. "I used Chaos Control."

"Chaos Control? Isn't that what Shadow uses to warp around?"

"Yeah, and I just remembered that I can do it too." Sonic straightened himself out and then said, "I take it you found your Master Emerald pieces?"

"Not just the ones I lost from the shuttle, but also Rouge's pieces," Knuckles said as he waved his gloved hand toward the newly reformed Master Emerald.

"She didn't just give them to you, did she?" Sonic said in a puzzled tone.

Knuckles blushed slightly. "Actually, she did."

"Why?"

"I don't know. We were fighting over the Emerald pieces one minute, and then the next she's falling off the narrow ledge we were standing on. Fortunately, I managed to save her, but then she called me a creep afterwards. So then I told her that I should at least get some kind of reward for saving her, and before I knew it she threw the Master Emerald pieces she took right at me and left."

"Weird. Well, if you could find Amy and Tails for me, that would be great. I'm going to head to the laser cannon's core and blow it up with this fake Chaos Emerald."

Then before Knuckles could question him further, Sonic took off at top speed.

###

Soon enough, Sonic was standing in a long tunneled hallway with two conveyer belts going in the same direction. He was just about to head down the hallway when a sudden bout of fatigue overtook him. As he changed back into Sonny, a set of footsteps came up to him.

"So that's how it is," Shadow said as Sonny turned to face him.

"Shadow," Sonny said in a surprised tone.

In response, Shadow walked past Sonny. "You can only possess your host temporarily instead of fully. No wonder you're so weak, Sonic."

"Hey, I'm not Sonic. The name's Sonny Hedge," Sonny said as he caught up to Shadow. "And what's that supposed to mean, anyway?"

Shadow walked faster. "Unlike Sonic, I have full control over my host. The Doctor has the same condition if you don't believe me."

"So when you say that you've fully taken over your host's body, does the host know about it?"

"I'm not sure. Now since Sonic was courteous enough to save your worthless life with his Chaos Control, I wouldn't risk it trying to stop me."

"You don't sound all that surprised that we survived the explosion. Has he done it before?"

"He did a long time ago, before trying to stop the Eclipse Cannon from going off, and if you don't stop following me we're going to be repeating the same story again."

"You mean Sonic and you will be repeating the same story. I'm just along for the ride."

"Well, your ride is going to end here, Sonny."

So Shadow took off down the hallway in a black blur. Sonny attempted to catch up to him with the Sonic Phase, but even then Shadow managed to outpace him by teleporting a little ways ahead each time. Irritated, Sonny looked around for Sonic in astral form and found him snoozing midair.

"Sonic, what are you doing?" Sonny whined. "Aren't you supposed to be helping me beat Shadow?"

"I'd love to, but I'm too tired to do it at the moment," Sonic answered as he yawned. "I guess using Chaos Control really took a toll on my energy."

"So what should I do?"

"Just keep running, Sonny. I know you can beat him."

After Sonic's astral form vanished, Sonny gritted his teeth and tried his best to keep up with Shadow. Eventually, the conveyor belts wound their way out into space which made Sonny halt near the opening. As Shadow continued past him, Sonny gritted his teeth.

"I can't do it, Sonic," Sonny said anxiously. "Shadow can survive in space, but I can't without you possessing my body."

"That's true, but you have to remember that Shadow's got the same situation going on for him as well," Sonic said as his astral form reappeared. "Sure he may have 'full control' over his host's body, but he still needs a host."

"So the only way we can defeat Shadow is—

"To awaken his host."

After Sonny quickly changed back into Sonic, he pursued Shadow in a sudden burst of speed that send him running nearly the entire length of the conveyor belts. But like before, each time he got close Shadow would warp a certain distance a way. This time, Sonic was ready and attacked Shadow each time he reappeared. He kept this up several times until Shadow was finally knocked out. As Sonic stood over him, Shadow's ears temporarily disappeared before resorting to their original form.

"Did you see that?" Sonny said in astral form. "His hedgehog ears briefly vanished. What does that mean?"

"It either means Shadow's spirit refuses to yield to its host, or the host is too weak to resist the spirit's influence," Sonic said. "Let's go before he wakes up."

Then before Sonny could say anything, Sonic had already made his way into the core of the laser cannon. There, he threw the fake Chaos Emerald into a small at the bottom of an alter that looked similar to the temple on Angel Island where the Master Emerald resided. Afterwards, he got out and picked up the walkie-talkie Tails gave him.

###

"I did it," Tails said wearily as he looked down at Eggman who lay unconscious on the floor with pieces of his Egg Mobile scattered everywhere. The _Tornado 2_ had been destroyed as well, but he managed to retrieve the Yellow Chaos Emerald from the wreckage. "If only Sonic and Sonny were here to see."

As Tails changed back into Miles, Amelia was kneeling on the floor holding the walkie-talkie with tears falling down her eyes.

"Sonny," Amelia whispered. "I never got to tell him that—

" _Hey, guys, I_ _'_ _m ok!_ " Sonic's voice said on the walkie-talkie.

"Sonic?" Amelia pressed the call button on the walkie-talkie just as Miles got next to her. "Are you okay? How's Sonny?"

" _Sonny and I are fine. You should look out the window_."

Amelia and Miles did as Sonic asked and looked outside the window to see a small blue figure hanging on the tip of the laser cannon. Then in an instant, the blue figure disappeared just as a series of explosions erupted along the laser cannon's sides. As Miles and Amelia cheered loudly, Dr. Eggman reached out and picked up the Yellow Chaos Emerald which Miles dropped by accident. Next, he slowly got up and tried to sneak quietly out of the room but the loudly sliding door gave him away.

"Hey!" Miles said turning around to face Dr. Eggman. "Come back with that Emerald!"

While Dr. Eggman made a run for it, Miles followed close behind and Amelia brought up the rear.

" _What just happened?_ " Sonic asked on the other end of the walkie-talkie.

"Dr. Eggman just made off with the real Chaos Emerald," Amelia answered.

" _Then he_ _'_ _s probably heading for the control room,_ " Sonic said. " _Don_ _'_ _t let him out of your sights. I_ _'_ _m on my way_."

"Okay."

Up ahead, Dr. Eggman took a sharp right down the hallway. Miles attempted to follow him, but he was kicked in the face by a pair of white calf-length boots with pink hearts on the tips that came out of the ventilation shaft above. These boots in turn belonged to a teenage girl who looked like Rouge, only she had slanted pupils, a pair of white bat ears popping out of her shoulder-length ash-blonde hair, and a pair of black bat wings protruding from her back. Her clothes were different too, as she was sporting a pink heart-shaped breastplate with no straps, skin-tight black nylon pants underneath her white boots which matched her white elbow-length gloves. After she fully emerged out of the ventilation shaft, Miles backed into Amelia holding his nose.

"Rouge," Amelia said, still bewildered by her appearance.

"Well, if it isn't Amelia," Rouge said folding her arms confidently. "I've heard so much about you."

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Amelia, this isn't Rouge Baxter," Miles said through his nose. "You're looking at Rouge the Bat."

"You got that right, hon," Rouge said in response. "Now if you want those Emeralds so badly, you're going to have to get through me."

"Oh, I'm going to do more than just get through you," Amelia said as she summoned the Piko Hammer to her hand. "I'm going to make you pay for betraying our trust in you and getting Sonny in trouble with G. U. N."

As Amelia charged at Rouge with her hammer held high, Miles looked down at electronic layout of the ARK again. Finding an alternate route to the control-room, Miles took the perpendicular hallway next to him leaving Amelia to deal with Rouge. However, as he managed to catch up to Dr. Eggman once more he bumped into Shadow who appeared out of nowhere.

"Going somewhere?" Shadow asked sarcastically.

"Maybe," Miles replied.

"I don't think so," Shadow said as he disappeared again.

He reappeared behind Miles' head and just as he was about to kick him Knuckles came bursting down from the ceiling and pinned him down.

"Knuckles!" Miles exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

"I was trying to look for you and Amelia," Knuckles replied. "Good thing I took a wrong turn."

While Knuckles kept Shadow subdued, Miles continued in his pursuit for Dr. Eggman. Once he reached the control room, Miles saw Dr. Eggman go inside in a hurry. He attempted to follow, but the door wouldn't open.

"Eggman!" Miles shouted, pounding on the door. "You won't get away with this!"

"Oh, but I am," Eggman said tauntingly on the other side.

Then as Eggman's footsteps retreated further away, Miles turned into Tails and tried to push the door back but it wouldn't budge. Down the hallway, Sonic came running and was heading right for the door. Tails got out of the way just in time as Sonic slammed into the door. It bent slightly inward, but the door still wouldn't open.

"Geez," Sonic said irritably. "What the heck is this door made of?"

"It looks to be some kind of metallic alloy," Tails said. "But I'm surprised it's still this tough considering that this place hasn't had proper maintenance in a while."

"What's the matter, Sonic?" Knuckles said, appearing from the other side of the hallway with Amy following behind him. "Having a little door trouble?"

"Uh, maybe," Sonic said coyly. "Want to give it a shot?"

"Sure, I'm up for a challenge," Knuckles replied and got his fists pumped as he approached the door.

"I'm glad you two are okay, but what happened to Rouge and Shadow?" Tails asked.

"They got away," Amy said irritably. "I had Rouge pinned up against a wall but then she threw a smoke-bomb at me and took off. Shadow, on the other hand, warped out of Knuckles' grasp and threw a bunch of energy blasts at him before taking off."

Behind Tails, Knuckles punched the door so hard that it made everyone flinch. The door caved inward, having fallen off its hinges, allowing Sonic and the others to enter. On the other side of a narrow walkway stood the computer with the tower-like structure behind it where Dr. Eggman was placing the Yellow Chaos Emerald into. As soon as he did, the whole tower lit up and the lights underneath the walkway spun rapidly.

"What's happening?" Sonic asked.

"The cannon must be charging up to full power, now that all the Chaos Emeralds are assembled," Tails answered.

"Exactly," Dr. Eggman said triumphantly. "And unfortunately for you the time to fire the cannon again is nigh!"

Then before anyone could stop him, Dr. Eggman pushed a small red button next to the keyboard. On the computer-screen, it showed a bar that progressively filled up as the cannon reached full power. However, once the bar became full, the screen went black. A few seconds later, an old man who looked like an elderly version of Dr. Eggman appeared on the screen. He was tied to a chair in chains and his eyes were hidden by a pair of circular shades.

"Grandfather?" Dr. Eggman said as he stumbled back a little.

To be continued…


	40. Chapter 40: Redemption

**40th Chapter! Woo-hoo! Thank you guys so much for supporting this fanfic and I hope the next chapters will continue to please you!**

Chapter 40: Redemption

" _People of Mobius_ ," said the old man on the screen in a melancholic tone of voice. " _You may know me as Gerard Robotnik, a brilliant scientist who has sought to bring peace to the world through the power of science. But alas, the world has not been kind to me in turn. It all began in 1935 when the world_ _'_ _s first orbiting research facility, Space Colony ARK, was about to take off. I was offered to be the ARK_ _'_ _s supervisor, since it was my creation, but I initially declined to continue my research into the Fourth Great Civilization. However, fate had other plans._

" _A terrible car accident claimed the life of my son and his wife, leaving their children in my care. Shortly afterward, I discovered that my infant granddaughter Marie had been born with a terminal disease known as NIDS inside her. So I brought her and her adopted brother Shawn, who was only a toddler at the time, onboard the ARK. I utilized the research facility to seek out a cure for Marie, but knowing that the government would not fully support my selfish desire I claimed I was researching the secret to immortality, hence I called the project_ _'_ _Ambrosia_ _'_ _. Later, I changed it to_ _'_ _Shadow_ _'_ _when I discovered a powerful entity by that name had possessed my grandson Shawn, which gave him powers that were beyond scientific explanation which could possibly hold the secret to curing Marie. But G. U. N., the government_ _'_ _s new military organization, became paranoid that I might use my creations including the Eclipse Cannon, which was capable of destroying whole planets, to take over the world. So they sent a platoon of troops up to the ARK and killed anyone who resisted arrest._

" _To prevent further bloodshed, I gave myself up along with Shadow. Marie, on the other hand, had been launched out into space inside a capsule which fell toward Mobius. Though the capsule has not been recovered yet, Marie is presumed to be dead. Shadow has been placed into suspended animation, and I am locked in this cell. As for the ARK, it was promptly shut down under the claim that an_ _'_ _accident_ _'_ _had occurred onboard. My mind has been working overtime, and I have now set my plans for revenge into motion. Should anyone be foolish enough to fire the Eclipse Cannon, the ARK will in turn head on a collision course with the planet and explode on impact. I_ _'_ _m may not live long enough to see this plan through, but Shadow will. I implanted the desire to find all the Chaos Emeralds to power the Eclipse Cannon in his mind and reprogrammed the ARK from this cell using a device called a 'computer' which the scientists here have foolishly given me_ _. Once this video has been recorded, it will be transmitted up into the ARK_ _'_ _s main computer and broadcast to every single television in the world from there after the Eclipse Cannon is fired. Now you will all face my wrath and pay for what has been taken from me!_ "

Then the screen faded, and the room suddenly began to vibrate.

"What's happening?" Amy said nervously.

"The ARK is moving at an increasing velocity toward Mobius," Rouge said, standing in the open doorway. "That's what the Commander said."

"The Commander?" Knuckles said with surprise. "So you're not only a thief but a government agent as well?"

"Yes, but it's not like that matters now," Rouge replied solemnly.

"How much time do we have, Tails?" Sonic asked.

"I'm not sure, but let's get back to the research lab first," Tails said. "The Chaos Emeralds are giving off an unstable amount of energy right now."

As he spoke, the Chaos Emeralds glowed so brightly that a ring of energy began to emanate from them. Sparks flew from the computer, causing Dr. Eggman to back away from it. As the vibrating grew worse, everyone got out of the control room and ran straight for the research lab. Once there, Tails looked out the window, and saw the planet below them getting steadily bigger.

"At this rate, we're going to crash into Mobius in twenty minutes!" Tails exclaimed.

"Well, we can't just stand here!" Sonic said. "We've got to stop this thing!"

"I have an idea," Dr. Eggman said. "If we can shut down the Eclipse Cannon's core before the Chaos Emeralds' energy overloads it completely, we may be able to stop the ARK from crashing into Mobius."

"But how?" Tails asked.

Rouge's ears perked up. "Of course! Knuckles, you said the Master Emerald can control the other Emeralds, right?"

"That's true," Knuckles said, picking up a miniaturized version of the Master Emerald. "I might be able to use the Master Emerald to cancel their power out."

"Then once that's done, we can take control of the ARK manually," Tails said. "However, in order to pull this off, we're going to all need to work together."

"No problem," Sonic said confidently. "Just tell me where to go, and I'll be there in a flash!"

"I'll help too, even though I don't like the idea of working with Bat Girl," Knuckles grumbled.

Rouge scuffed. "Well, I'm not much of a team-player, but I'd rather not die."

"Can I come with you, Sonic?" Amy said.

"No, Amy, I need you to stay here," Sonic replied sternly. "I don't want to risk potentially losing you when there's so much at stake."

Amy opened her mouth, but then she closed it.

"All right," Tails said. "Eggman and I will unlock the security doors to the core. Rouge, you'll drain the liquid that's filling the core right about now. After that, Knuckles will unlock the final security door so that he and Sonic can make their way into the core without too much trouble."

After everyone nodded, Eggman said, "Sounds like a fair plan, but I would prefer if you didn't call me Eggman. You're speaking to Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the unfortunate host of Eggman's spirit."

"But I thought you were fully possessed," Sonic said as he and the others left the research lab.

"I am, but the shock of seeing my grandfather on the screen, whom I had not seen since I was a lad of five, has caused Eggman's spirit to temporarily release me," Dr. Robotnik answered. "But I'm not sure how long this will last, so we'd better hurry before Eggman takes over again."

Then as soon as everyone left the room, Amy pouted and changed back into Amelia. A set of unexpected footsteps caught her attention, causing Amelia to look back. It was Shadow, but he didn't seem to pay any attention to her as he walked up to the glass window and stared at the ever-growing surface of the planet below.

"Where did you come from?" Amelia asked.

"I've been here the whole time, lurking in the shadows, while your friends were coming up with a futile plan to stop this colony from colliding with Mobius," Shadow answered nonchalantly.

"Futile? They're actually trying to save everyone! You were just a puppet for Gerard in his mad scheme to get revenge on the world for what he lost!"

"I was no mere puppet," Shadow growled. "I went along with Gerard's plan willingly because I had failed to prevent the inevitable from happening."

"What are you talking about? Why would you want to destroy the world?"

"Gerard's granddaughter, Marie, was the reincarnation of Maria who died trying to save me when I was alive. I tried to save her from being killed by those G. U. N. soldiers by sending her off in that capsule, but it seems I only killed her by doing so."

"If the capsule was never recovered, then she could be still alive out there somewhere."

"I highly doubt it. Without proper medical attention, the NIDS would've probably killed her in a year or so."

"But even if she were dead, would destroying the world really do anything? Think about what she would've wanted!"

At that moment, Shadow's eyes widened and he ran out of the lab without saying another world to Amelia.

###

Down in the Eclipse Cannon's core, Sonic and Knuckles ran swiftly toward the altar at the center of the room when there was a bright flash of light. Once it died down, a giant orange salamander with wires and buttons attached to its body was blocking their path. It roared loudly, and made a step toward them.

"What the heck is that?" Knuckles asked.

"I don't know," Sonic replied. "This wasn't here when I placed that fake Chaos Emerald into the core a little while ago."

"This is the BioLizard, a prototype Gerard made in his attempt to create an immortal being that he could study to find the cure for Marie," Shadow said, appearing behind Sonic and Knuckles.

"Shadow!" Sonic exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll distract the BioLizard," Shadow said, approaching the giant salamander. "You two head for the altar and nullify the Chaos Emeralds' power."

Knuckles scratched his head. "Uh, Shadow—

"Do it now!" Shadow yelled. "We have less than fifteen minutes left!"

So without questioning Shadow further, Sonic and Knuckles made their way around the BioLizard while Shadow warped all around it. The creature lashed out at Shadow, but it could never keep up with him. Meanwhile, Sonic and Knuckles had reached the altar where Knuckles took out the shrunken Master Emerald and placed it into the same hole that Sonic had placed the fake Chaos Emerald in before. The Master Emerald suddenly grew back to its normal size and glowed brightly.

Knuckles cleared his throat and then said, "The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart. The heart is the controller. The controller serves to unify the chaos. Master Emerald, nullify the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, and save us all!"

As the Master Emerald spun rapidly, the Chaos Emeralds suddenly appeared and hovered around the big green gemstone. Overtime, the Emeralds grew duller in color until they eventually fell to the floor. It was at this moment that the Master Emerald stopped spinning and the BioLizard roared again. Sonic and Knuckles turned to witness a bright light surround the BioLizard and then it vanished into thin air.

"Dammit!" Shadow cursed. "The BioLizard used Chaos Control!"

"So what does that mean?" Sonic said, and then the ground suddenly vibrated violently.

As Knuckles tried to steady himself, he asked, "Are we still falling toward Mobius?"

" _I_ _'_ _m afraid so,_ " Robotnik said over the intercom. " _The BioLizard has attached itself to the outside of the Eclipse Cannon and taken over the Space Colony as a result. We have ten minutes left till impact._ "

"But that doesn't explain why we're still falling toward Mobius," Sonic said irritably.

"I guess Gerard must've programmed the BioLizard to take over the Space Colony through the Eclipse Cannon and keep the Colony on its collision course in case the Chaos Emeralds lost their power," Shadow said thoughtfully. "He probably did that around the same time that he implanted the mission to collect the Chaos Emeralds in my head and programmed the ARK to collide with Mobius if the Eclipse Cannon was fired."

"Well, that's just great!" Sonic said sarcastically. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"There's only one thing we can do: use the miracle that can only be granted when the seven Chaos Emeralds are in one place."

"Yeah, though they're out of power at the moment."

"Not if we believe hard enough."

After some hesitation, Sonic nodded and so he closed his eyes along with Shadow. A few seconds later, the Chaos Emeralds glowed brightly and they circled around the two boys. Knuckles stepped back as the two vanished in a flash of light.

###

Outside the Space Colony, Super Sonic and Super Shadow appeared next to the BioLizard whose upper-half had replaced the tip of the Eclipse Cannon. Below them, the planet Mobius was getting larger. So they flew through space and attacked the BioLizard from all sides by slamming into pink-colored tumors that appeared all over its body. They kept this up for several minutes until the BioLizard finally exploded and what remained of it burned up as the Space Colony started to enter Mobius' atmosphere.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Shadow?" Sonic said flying close to Mobius' upper atmosphere.

"Yes," Shadow said, removing the golden rings from his wrists and ankles. "Let's do it."

Satisfied, Sonic spread his hands out before him just as Shadow did the same. Together they flew right at the Space Colony as a golden yellow aura emanated from them. This aura in turn collided with the fiery aura that surrounded the Space Colony, causing it to momentarily pause.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" Sonic and Shadow shouted at the same time.

At that instant, the golden aura covered the ARK and caused it to disappear and reappear several hundred miles out in space where it was before.

###

Inside the ARK's lab, Miles and the others were cheering wildly including Dr. Robotnik. Their celebration was interrupted by the sliding door opening. Sonny walked in, but he had a serious frown on his face.

"Sonny," Amelia said, walking towards him. "What's wrong?"

"Where's Shadow?" Rouge Baxter asked, still wearing the same outfit but without the bat ears or wings.

"He didn't make it," Sonny said, unclenching his hand to reveal one of the golden rings Shadow wore. "This was all I could retrieve."

Rouge Baxter stepped forward and took the ring from Sonny. Then while Amelia embraced Sonny tightly, Rouge walked toward a dark corner of the room. Reluctantly, Chuck walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay, Rouge?" Chuck asked.

"I…I don't know what to think anymore," Rouge replied angrily. "My father made me pretend to team up with Dr. Eggman in order to keep an eye on him for the government but also retrieve some files he stole which were about this ARK and Shadow. But when I looked at them, I couldn't believe it. The same people I work for who are supposedly the good guys also killed hundreds of innocent people onboard this ship, all because they considered one brilliant scientist who was only trying to find a cure for his sick granddaughter a threat to the world."

"Calm down, Rouge, I—

"But that's not all! The only reason I stole your precious Master Emerald was because Rouge the Bat can't keep her hands off any gemstones that catch her fancy, and I know Amelia hates me for betraying your guys' trust by telling your secret to G. U. N.. So from here on out, I'm not working for G. U. N. anymore! And I won't be going back home, either."

"Then where will you go?"

"Anywhere else, I guess."

Near the window, Dr. Robotnik and Miles were staring outside in contemplation.

"I really looked up to my grandfather, you know," Dr. Robotnik said after a pause. "Being like him was always my dream, so I went into teaching and hoped giving others knowledge would make the world a better place. But I guess that won't happen, now that I'm the world's most notorious mad scientist next to my grandfather."

"You could still accomplish your dream," Miles said. "All you have to do is talk to Dr. Eggman and persuade him to not completely possess you again."

"That won't be easy. He's a stubborn fool who won't stop at nothing till he beats his rival Sonic."

"True, but if you're as smart as the articles claim, I'm sure you'll figure something out."

"Hey, Miles," Sonny said, breaking out of his embrace with Amelia. "Is that shuttle still working?"

"I think so," Miles replied.

"Good, then let's get out of here. I've got an appointment with the Commander back on Mobius now that I've saved the world."

"You mean 'we've' saved the world," Amelia said, following Tails out the door.

"That's what I meant to say," Sonny replied.

As everyone slowly filed out of the lab, Sonny lingered behind a little.

"Goodbye, Shadow," Sonny said. "I hope your spirit rests in peace and whoever your host was."

To be continued…


	41. Chapter 41: Save and Search

**Since this next arc is going to be based on _Sonic Heroes_ I'm going to be switching between the perspectives of Team Sonic, Dark, Rose, and Chaotix instead of just sticking with Sonny's perspective. So hope you enjoy and continue to support my fan-fiction!**

Chapter 41: Save and Search

It had been a few months since the Space Colony ARK nearly collided with the planet Mobius and in that time a lot of things happened. First, Sonic kept his promise with the Commander of G. U. N. and told him everything he knew about him and his friends' condition. Afterwards, the Commander pardoned Sonic of the charges against him regarding the jewelry store robbery in a private courtroom where no cameras were allowed. However, as a result of the information revealed on Gerard Robotnik's threatening message, the Commander was forced to answer for the massacre that occurred onboard the ARK fifty years ago in a world-leader council led by the President of the United Federation. But in the end, the Commander got to keep his job due to the lack of living witnesses.

Rouge, on the other hand, had not only quit G. U. N. but she also ran away. Shortly afterward, a series of high-end jewel robberies started being committed by a mysterious thief called The Bat. Thinking there was a connection between the two, the Commander tried to track the thief down but they proved to be more slippery than he thought. As for Dr. Robotnik, he had initially complied to turn himself in, but a few weeks later he was broken out of prison again. The perpetrator was speculated to be the same person who broke Robotnik out the first time, but G. U. N. still had no idea who did it.

Meanwhile, Sonny and Amelia were officially a couple, but they were dating on an irregular basis. This was mainly due to Sonny's restlessness for adventure, though he suspect this was how Sonic was feeling, while Amelia was struggling to decide whether her feelings for Sonny were hers or Amy's feelings toward Sonic. But Miles was still keeping in touch with Marina, who was now sailing around the globe after reuniting with her cousin Stilla who turned out to have a spirit in her named Sticks the Jungle Badger. Chuck was content guarding the Master Emerald on Angel Island, though he occasionally called Sonny and the others to tell them how he was doing.

It was now summer vacation, and Sonic was running laps through Wild Canyon to get back into shape. The sound of an airplane engine suddenly caught his attention, forcing him to look up. Tails waved back at him inside the newly rebuilt _Tornado 2_ with Knuckles lying in the back.

"Hey, Sonic!" Tails shouted, flying the plane closer to the ground.

"What's up, Tails?" Sonic replied back.

"I—Miles got this in the mail this morning," Tails replied, taking out a piece of paper from the glove compartment. "You might want to read it."

Sonic took the paper from Tails and discovered it was a letter with Eggman's profile on it. Then to his surprise, the profile started moving. It laughed upon recognizing Sonic and narrated the letter out loud:

 _Dear Sonic,_

 _It_ _'_ _s been awhile since my last letter, but I have a good reason to send one to you now. You see, after months of tedious preparation and avoiding G. U. N._ _'_ _s detection, I_ _'_ _ve finally created the Ultimate Weapon to take over the world with. But to make this endeavor more fun, I dare you to try and stop me in three days_ _'_ _time. That_ _'_ _s when I_ _'_ _ll unleash the device on the entire world and build the Eggman Empire on what remains afterwards!_

 _See you then!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Dr. Eggman_

"Sounds like Eggman's back in business," Sonic said.

"So what should we do?" Tails asked.

"What we've always done, Tails," Knuckles said turning on his side and letting his feet prop out from the backseat of the plane. "Beat Dr. Eggman and save the world."

"You said it, Knuckles," Sonic said excitedly. "Now let's get going! We wouldn't want to keep Eggman waiting!"

"But Sonic, shouldn't you at least let Amelia know what we're doing?" Tails said as Sonic jumped onto the top wing of the plane. "I know she'll be worried if you don't tell her."

Sonic sighed. "All right, fine, I'll send her a text."

###

"Ugh, can you believe this?" Amelia said, showing Crème a text message she received from Sonny. She was at the Seaside Hill beach with Crème and Biggs, while Crème's mother was busy getting them snacks. "I told Sonny to meet us here, but instead he went off to run laps in Wild Canyon as Sonic, and now he's telling me that Eggman's threatening to destroy the world again! So he, Tails, and Knuckles are going off to stop him and they won't be back for three days."

"That sounds terrible," Crème responded. "He shouldn't ditch you like that."

"I know, but I can't tell him _not_ to go after Eggman," Amelia said irritably. "Maybe being Sonny's girlfriend wasn't such a good idea."

"Aw, cheer up, Amelia," Biggs said, picking up his fishing rod. "Do you want to go fishing? That always makes me feel better."

"Thanks, Biggs, but not today," Amelia replied. "I just want to catch some rays and forget about my problems."

"Hey, kids," Crème's mother said, approaching the three with a box full of hot-dogs and shaved-ice cones.

"Yay! I love shaved-ice cones," Crème exclaimed, taking the lemon-flavored one.

"Me too!" Biggs added as he munched down on the grape-flavored cone.

Amelia was about to take the cherry-flavored cone when she noticed the newspaper tucked underneath the arm of Crème's mother had a picture of a blue blur on it.

"Um, Ms. Hare," Amelia asked. "Could I take a look at the newspaper?"

"Sure," Crème's mother said.

Satisfied, Amelia took the newspaper and looked at the front-page which said "The Blue Blur Up Close!". To her surprise, not only did the picture show Sonic from the back with his face turned away from the camera but he also seemed to be dragging two objects behind him. One was a large green frog and the other was brown-colored Chao.

"Um, Biggs," Amelia said hesitantly. "When did you say Froggy went missing?"

"This morning," Biggs replied while eating his hot-dog. "I still miss him, though."

"What about Cheese's friend Chocola?" Amelia said, looking at Crème. "When did he go missing?"

"I think it was this morning," Crème said.

Cheese the Chao nodded in response.

"Well, this doesn't make sense," Amelia said, showing the picture to Crème and Biggs. "If Sonic was in Wild Canyon, then how did he get here and steal Froggy and Chocola early this morning when he hates water?"

"Maybe it was another impostor?" Crème suggested.

"I don't know," Amelia sighed. "Maybe I'll ask Sonic when he's done saving the world."

"Hey, isn't that their plane?" Biggs asked pointing towards the sky.

Amelia and Crème followed Biggs' finger, and sure enough the _Tornado 2_ was flying overhead with Sonic standing proudly on the top wing as always.

"Or I could ask him now," Amelia said after a pause.

Then in a split second, Amelia got out of her chair and ran after the _Tornado 2_ along the beach.

"You'd better go after her," Crème's mother suddenly said. "She's going to be needing some company."

Crème smiled and nodded. "Thanks, mom!"

To be continued…


	42. Chapter 42: Return and Find

Chapter 42: Return and Find

"Finally," Rouge said after gliding down a long shaft and landing safely into an empty hallway before a locked door with a keypad. She had traded her previous outfit for a new one that consisted of a dark purple top with a low-cut and pink midriff, white gloves, a heart-shaped belt, and matching purple spandex pants and thigh-high boots of the same color. "I thought I'd never make it to Dr. Eggman's secret storage room in one piece. There's got to be something worth stealing inside."

After typing a few keys on the keypad, the locked door opened into a large room littered with crates. At the center of the room was an egg-shaped pod standing on top of a white pole behind a control panel. A flight of metal stairs led up to the pod's door, which Rouge ascended to see what was inside. To her surprise, it was a teenage boy with spiky black hair done in red highlights and he seemed to be suspended in green-colored liquid.

"Shadow!" Rouge exclaimed.

Immediately, Rouge glided down behind the control panel and pressed a few buttons. The liquid from the pod was drained in a matter of seconds followed by the door opening slowly. Not only was Shadow devoid of his black hedgehog ears and tail but he was also completely naked.

As Shadow's eyelids fluttered open, a loud clanking sound caught Rouge's attention. She looked at a dark corner and saw a robot that looked like a taller version of Gamma walking towards her. But before Rouge could say a word, the robot lifted its bulky arms which had turned into cannons and fired them at her. The gunfire woke Shadow up completely and he leaped toward Rouge. After grabbing her, Shadow warped both of them out of the robot's range of fire and onto a pile of crates nearby.

Before Rouge could speak, Shadow said, "Stay here."

Next, Shadow warped himself from the crates to the floor and dodged the robot's rapid-fire shots.

" _Must destroy all of Eggman_ _'_ _s robots!_ " the robot shouted. " _Eggman is the enemy!_ "

"Eggman?" Shadow said, warping in front of the robot and pushing its arms away from him. "I don't know an Eggman, and I'm certainly not a robot."

"Whoa, hold up," Rouge said, flying up to Shadow and putting herself between him and the robot. "How can you not know Dr. Eggman, Shadow? You worked with him."

Shadow blinked, revealing that his pupils weren't slanted like they were before. "You've got the wrong guy, bat girl. I'm Shawn, not Shadow."

Rouge hesitated for a moment, and then she smiled. "Ah, I see. You're his host."

"What?" Shawn asked.

"Nothing," Rouge replied, pushing Shawn away from her. "Put some clothes on, and then we'll talk."

Shawn did as Rouge asked, and searched the room extensively.

Rouge then turned to the robot and said, "Now you've got to cool down. We're not Eggman's robots and we don't like Eggman either, so you could say we're on the same side."

" _Did he lock you away?_ " the robot asked.

"Well, no."

" _Because that_ _'_ _s what he did to me, and I want to make him pay!_ "

"All right, well it just so happens that I'm looking for Dr. Eggman as well. If you can help me find him, I'll let you have at him when I'm through."

"Why are you so interested in finding this Eggman fella?" Shawn said, now wearing the same clothes that Shadow wore including the golden rings.

"Because he…has something that I want," Rouge answered coyly.

Shawn raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Does it really matter?" Rouge said dismissively. "I want to know more about you because you're dead as far as everyone's concerned."

"Who's everyone? What happened?"

"You mean you don't remember anything?"

"The last thing I recall was being onboard the Space Colony ARK and I had broken into my grandfather's research lab. He'd been contacted by an alien who called himself 'Black Doom' and was given a sample of the alien's blood to create a serum that might finally cure my sister. But I was doubtful, and so I injected myself with the serum to test it."

"And then what?"

"I don't know. What year is it?"

"2001."

"2001?" Shawn exclaimed. "The last date I remember was 1952, so that means I've been inside the pod for…fifty years."

"You weren't always in that pod," Rouge said calmly. "A few months ago, you were in suspended animation inside a G. U. N. facility and it was Dr. Eggman who released you. This storage-room also happens to be inside one of his bases, so if anyone can tell you how you'd ended up in the pod it would be Dr. Eggman."

"I see," Shawn said as he scratched the back of his neck for a few seconds. "Do you know where I can find this 'Dr. Eggman'?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, but if we work together I'm sure we'll find him in no time."

" _If you_ _'_ _re seeking out Dr. Eggman, then maybe I should come along,_ " the robot said, holding his robotic arm out to shake. " _My serial number is E-123, but you can call me Omega._ "

"Okay, well I'm Shawn," Shawn said, taking Omega's outstretched hand. "Shawn Robotnik."

Rouge smiled and put her hand on top of Shawn and Omega's hands. "I go by Rouge, and I have a feeling that we're going to get along swell, boys."

"I sure hope so," Shawn said.

Once that was settled, the three left the storage-room and made their way out of the base together.

###

In Central City, there was a small house on a busy street that had a slanted roof and mismatched windows on the second floor. A boy with blond hair sticking out from underneath an aviator's cap came running up to the front door with a package in his hand. Without bothering to knock, the boy went inside, beholding a wide foyer with a large desk at the back where a tall man with close-cut green hair was nodding his head back and forth to an unheard song coming from his black headphones while a teenage boy with spiky purple hair was standing in a dark corner near the water cooler.

"Hey, Victor!" the boy said loudly.

The tall man opened his eyes and removed his headphones. "What did you say, Charles?"

"A package arrived in the mail today, and it's addressed to us," the boy answered.

"So what?" the purple-haired boy said nonchalantly.

Charles reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter that had already been opened. "This letter claims that there are instructions for a job waiting for us inside the package."

"A job?" Victor exclaimed, and leaped over the desk. "Let me see."

Before Charles could react, Victor took the package and was about to open it when the purple-haired boy appeared right next to him.

"Maybe I should open the package," the purple-haired boy said. "Just in case this is some kind of trick."

"Sure, Espen, whatever you say," Victor responded, letting Espen take the package.

After Espen examined the package, he took out a kunai knife and cut off the rope that bound the box. He then opened the package and looked inside. To his surprise, it was a yellow and red walkie-talkie.

A voice emerged from the walkie-talkie that sounded altered but still audible. " _Greetings, Chaotix Detectives, assuming that the package has been delivered safely to you. I would_ _'_ _ve met you in person, but I_ _'_ _m currently tied up at the moment. However, I am willing to pay you boys handsomely for the job I_ _'_ _m about to offer. So will you take it or leave it?_ "

"We'll take it!" Victor said, picking up the walkie-talkie.

"Just tell us what we have to do," Charles added.

"Are you sure about this, Victor?" Espen said doubtfully. "Something doesn't seem right."

"Relax, Espen. You worry too much sometimes," Victor said. Then he spoke into the walkie-talkie again. "All right, buddy, what's the job?"

" _First, I_ _'_ _ll need you to go to Whale Island and investigate the Ocean Palace for any signs of Dr. Eggman_."

"Eggman?" Charles exclaimed. "Don't you mean Dr. Robotnik?"

" _Sorry, I meant to say Dr. Robotnik._ "

Afterwards, the walkie-talkie went silent.

"Well, you heard the man," Victor said, running up the staircase next to the desk. "We're going to Whale Island."

"Yay!" Charles said following Victor's lead. "Do you think we'll get to go to the beach near Seaside Hill along the way?"

"Possibly, but don't bet on it," Espen said, taking up the rear.

Once they were all packed and ready to go, the Chaotix Detectives went out the door and took a taxi to the airport. From there, they took the next flight to Seaside Hill. In a matter of hours, they had arrived and followed a trail of seashells toward Whale Island.

To be continued…


	43. Chapter 43: Getaway

Chapter 43: Getaway

"Oh, man, that Egg Hawk was too easy!" Sonic said looking triumphantly at the wreckage of a metal plane shaped like a bird with a red-faced Eggman in the driver's seat. "I think you're getting too soft, Eggman!"

In response, Eggman detached the Egg Mobile from the Egg Hawk and flew away shouting, "This isn't over, Sonic! You still have yet to find my Ultimate Weapon!"

"Shoot, he's getting away!" Knuckles exclaimed and was about to glide upward when Tails stopped him.

"He's too far away for us to follow on-foot," Tails said. "Plus he's heading out to sea, which would be a problem for Sonic."

Knuckles shrugged Tails' hand off. "So what? We can just follow him in the _Tornado 2_."

Tails shook his head. "We left it all the way back at Seaside Hill, remember? By the time we get back there and hop in, Eggman will be long gone from here."

"Oh, yeah, you're right," Knuckles replied as he scratched his head. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"For now, we should take this Chaos Emerald back to the base and plan our next move," Tails responded, holding up the Cyan Chaos Emerald in his other hand.

"Good idea, Tails," Sonic said. "We wouldn't want to carry around something that valuable while we're hunting Dr. Eggman."

###

"Ooh, I hate you, Eggman!" Amy shouted as Dr. Eggman got away from yet another Egg Hawk. "You prevented me from pursuing Sonic!"

"Don't worry, Amy," Cream said hugging Amy from behind. "We'll catch him later. But right now, we should probably head back to the hotel. My mom will be worried if we don't get back by dinner-time."

"Yeah, and I'm starving," Big said, rubbing his stomach as a growling noise emanated from it.

"Oh, all right," Amy said reluctantly.

As the three of them ran back the way they came, an explosion occurred off in the northern section of Ocean Palace followed by another in the southern part.

###

"So that's Eggman, huh?" Shawn said, watching Dr. Eggman take off. "He looks like an older version of my cousin Ivo."

"That's because he is Ivo," Rouge said casually, causing Shawn to look at her with wide eyes. "Four years ago, your cousin was possessed by a 'spirit' of sorts who called himself Eggman. He's a mad genius who wants to take over the world and create his own empire over what remains after he's finished waging his wars."

"You sure know a lot for a thief," Shawn replied dubiously.

"I know this because I too am possessed by a spirit, who knew Eggman in a previous life," Rouge said, and changed into her human form without the bat ears and wings. "My real name is Rouge Baxter, and the spirit's name is Rouge the Bat."

"I see, so who is Shadow?"

Before Rouge could answer, Omega abruptly said, " _Can we pursue Dr. Eggman now? The further he gets away, the harder it will be for me to get my revenge_."

"Be patient, Omega," Rouge said changing back into her human-bat form. "That's just what we were about to do."

As Omega took off into the air on his jet-powered rocket feet, Rouge picked Shawn up and flew right after him.

###

"Aw, man," Charmy said, sighing as Eggman flew off in the Egg Mobile. In appearance, Charmy looked like Charles except with slanted pupils, bee antennae and wings protruding from his head and back, and a small but noticeable stinger poking out of his rectum. "Just when we found Dr. Eggman, he got away."

"Well our client told us to find him, but not necessarily catch him," Espio said, who looked like Espen except with slanted pupils, a streak of yellow in his hair, and a purple chameleon tail. "So technically we've finished the job."

"Hey, you're right," Vector responded. He looked like Victor except he had a clean shaven head, slanted gold pupils like Charmy and Espio, and a crocodile tail. "Let's call our client and tell him."

Then with that, Vector picked up the yellow and red walkie-talkie he had been carrying in his back pocket the whole time and pressed the call button.

"Hey, mister," Vector said casually. "We've found Dr. Eggman at Ocean Palace near Whale Island."

" _Excellent!_ " the voice said from the walkie-talkie. " _Did you get him?_ "

"He, uh, got away," Vector answered sheepishly.

" _Well, no matter_ ," the voice said after a pause. " _Continue searching for him_."

"Yes, sir," Vector answered and hung up.

"What did he say?" Charmy asked.

Vector sighed and said, "He wondered if we nabbed Dr. Eggman, and when I told him we didn't he just told us to keep searching for him."

"Odd," Espio muttered. "Why would our client want us to find Dr. Eggman but not nab him?"

"Who cares as long as we're getting paid for it," Charmy said.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Charmy," Vector responded.

Espio scuffed. "Very well, then I suggest we head back to Central City immediately. We can call the Commander of G. U. N. from there and see if he might have some ideas on where Dr. Eggman could be hiding."

###

The next day, Sonny and Miles were in their apartment eating a chili-dog and cereal respectfully in silence. They weren't able to find Dr. Eggman using the Emerald Detector, leading Miles to assume that Eggman hadn't collected any Chaos Emeralds so far, which seemed odd compared to their previous encounters with him. Chuck had to go back to Angel Island to check up on the Master Emerald at sunset, so that left Sonny and Miles with no choice but to go back to Central City. Sonny glanced casually at the TV, which was on, where an anchorwoman was talking next to a picture of Eggman's grinning profile from the ARK broadcast.

"Hey, Miles, look," Sonny said, pointing at the TV.

Miles looked back and immediately picked up the remote on the couch's armrest to turn the volume up.

" _The notorious Dr. Robotnik, whom G. U. N. has now renamed Dr. Eggman, was spotted in Grand Metropolis this morning as he was leading an army of deadly robots with the intention of taking it over. G. U. N. forces are already on their way but what_ _'_ _s keeping The Blue Blur?_ " the anchorwoman said as Eggman's profile was replaced by a picture of Sonic running with two blurry objects in his hand. " _Here is the first and only known photograph of the mysterious hero who has stopped Dr. Eggman_ _'_ _s nefarious schemes many times in the past and was recently pardoned for a theft he did not commit. Will The Blue Blur save the day again or will the Eggman win? Stay tuned for more on this story!_ "

Miles then turned the TV off and went in his room to get dressed. Sonny did the same, and called Chuck in the process. After explaining the situation to him, the two boys ran out the door and caught the nearest bus that would take them outside the city to the secret base.

###

"Hey, um, Ms. Hare," Amelia said hesitantly during breakfast with Crème, her mother, and Biggs. "I was wondering if Biggs, Crème, and me could…go to Grand Metropolis for the day."

"You mean the one that's being talked about on the news?" Ms. Hare said nervously.

"Please, Mom, we have to go there," Crème insisted. "Sonic can't fight Dr. Eggman alone."

"I know, sweetie, but I don't want you getting hurt," replied Ms. Hare.

"Don't worry, Ms. Hare," Biggs said through a mouthful of pancakes. "We'll protect your daughter."

"Yeah, I promise," Amelia added.

Ms. Hare thought for a few minutes, and then she sighed. "All right, but call me if anything comes up."

"We will, Mother," Crème said, and left the table in an excited hurry.

Amelia and Biggs followed her example as they raced up to the hotel room to start packing.

"You did great, Crème," Amelia said cheerfully. "Now we can go look for Sonic without worrying your mother."

"I know, but I still feel bad about lying to her," Crème said with her eyes downcast.

"You didn't entirely lie to her," Amelia said assuringly. "We might be able to kick Eggman's butt in the process of finding Sonic and who knows? Maybe we'll find Froggy and Chocola in Grand Metropolis."

"I miss Froggy," Biggs said absent-mindedly. "I hope he's doing all right."

"Same with Chocola," Crème said, then she turned to Cheese who was sitting perfectly still like a stuffed animal. "We're ready to go, Cheese."

"Chao! Chao!" Cheese said as he flew toward Crème's shoulder.

###

"Hey, Victor!" Charles said, calling to him from downstairs behind the desk with the walkie-talkie in his head. "Our client wants to talk to you!"

"Oh, really?" Victor said, stumbling down the stairs with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. "What'd he say?"

"He says it has to do with Dr. Eggman's whereabouts," Charles replied.

"That seems surprising," Espen said standing in his usual corner. "Even G. U. N. couldn't tell us where Eggman was yesterday."

"Maybe this guy has his own means of finding information like that," Victor said, and answered the walkie-talkie. "Hi, mister, you wanted to say something to me?"

" _I_ _'_ _ve figured out Dr. Eggman_ _'_ _s location. It_ _'_ _s all over the news!_ "

"Well, we don't have a TV, or a radio for that matter," Victor replied.

" _Oh, my! You must be really broke if you can_ _'_ _t afford those things._ " The voice cleared his throat and said, " _Nevertheless, head for the city of Grand Metropolis which Eggman is currently taking over as we speak!_ "

"No way! We'll be right there!" Victor said, and hung up. "Remind me to get a radio or television set after we get paid for this job, Charles."

"Why do you say that? You don't like television that much," Charles responded.

"Because Eggman is taking over Grand Metropolis, and we didn't hear about it because we don't have radio or television in the house," Victor answered and ran back upstairs.

"I think he's getting more invested in this case than he should," Espen said while Victor was changing into fresh clothes upstairs. "We hardly know anything about our client, or why he wants to find Dr. Eggman so badly."

"Don't worry about that, Espen," Charles said. "It's not important."

###

"Finally," Shawn said, looking over the vast array of skyscrapers that made up the downtown area of Grand Metropolis. "We made it after spending a restless night in that cheap motel on the way here."

"It wasn't that bad," Rouge Baxter responded. "I just didn't want to draw attention to ourselves, especially now that we have Omega tagging along."

" _What is that supposed to mean?_ " Omega asked.

Rouge turned to look up at Omega and said, "To be frank, you're quite intimidating for a robot and it would cause alarm once people realize that you're one of Eggman's robots."

" _Is that why you had me stay in that abandoned garage last night?_ "

"Yes, though I feel bad for making you do it."

" _I understand the necessity for it, so you don_ _'_ _t need to apologize_."

"Okay, I'm glad we're on the same page." Then Rouge turned back to Shawn as she changed into Rouge the Bat. "Shall we?"

"Yeah, let's rid this town of the robots that infect it," Shawn said and for a second a black aura surrounded him but died down before it could completely envelop him as he leaped off the building and warped down onto the sidewalk.

" _Did you see that black aura?_ " Omega said, turning to Rouge.

"I did," Rouge responded. "That means it won't be long before 'he' wakes up."

To be continued…


	44. Chapter 44: Run-in

Chapter 44: Run-in

Along the blue energy-powered roads that were a trademark of Grand Metropolis, Sonic Tails and Knuckles barged their way through hordes of robots on their way to a power plant belonging to HEXAeco, the energy company that controlled the city's power and where Dr. Eggman was currently hiding in. The reason Sonic and the others knew this was because Tails' Emerald Detector picked up signals of a Chaos Emerald inside the power plant. Several feet behind Amy's group followed Sonic's at a fast but quiet pace. Elsewhere, the Chaotix Detectives and Shawn's group were destroying all the robots that had spread throughout the city.

"Well, guys, we finally made it," Sonic said, looking up at the towering power plant. "Now let's show Eggman what we're made of when we work together as a team!"

"Yeah!" Tails and Knuckles said in unison.

Using the Homing Attack, Sonic manage to break the front door in and while he led the charge in pummeling all the robots before them Knuckles and Tails helped out. Eventually, they found themselves inside a large energy storage tank with a lava-like substance bubbling below them. After a few seconds, the liquid substance started to rise at a slow but steady rate.

"What's going on?" Knuckles asked nervously.

"Dr. Eggman must've programmed the energy storage tank to overload," Tails said, levitating himself up into the air with his two tails spinning rapidly. "He's trying to kill us!"

"Then we should get out of here!" Sonic said, grabbing Tails' feet.

Knuckles did the same to Sonic's, and together the three of them flew up to the top of the storage tank. An unusual gleam caused Sonic to look up. Above them three mysterious figures were also flying upwards with one of them carrying a large silver gemstone in its hand.

"Hey, Tails!" Sonic said, pointing up towards the opening. "Look up there!"

"What is it?" Tails responded as he looked up.

"I think those guys above us have a Chaos Emerald on them," Sonic answered as the three figures disappeared through the opening.

"If so, then that must've been what my Emerald Detector was picking up," Tails said, flying faster.

"I wonder who they were," Knuckles wondered out loud. "The one who was flying them up there looked kind of familiar."

Once Sonic and the boys safely reached the top, they were greeted by the frowning figure of Amy with Cream and Big standing on either side of her.

"Stop right where you are, Sonic!" Amy shouted, lifting up her enlarged Piko Hammer. "You're not getting away from me this time!"

"Amy, what are you doing here?" Sonic said in mild shock. "This place is going to blow any minute now!"

"I'm not leaving until you answer my question," Amy responded. "Are you the one responsible for stealing Chocola and Froggy?"

"What makes you say that?"

"This picture!" Amy said, tossing the newspaper with Sonic's picture printed on it to Sonic.

After briefly looking at it, Sonic said, "This can't be me! I was in Rail Canyon all morning yesterday until noon. The picture was taken in Lost Jungle, which I wasn't even close to."

"All right, then who did?" Amy asked, taking a step forward.

"Probably Eggman; I don't know."

"Then let's battle for the truth. If you win I'll believe you, but if I win then you're going to have to apologize and make up for what you did."

"Why should I apologize for something I didn't do?"

"You take that back!" Big said and lunged forward to punch Sonic when Knuckles blocked him.

"No one attacks my friend and gets away with it," Knuckles said and shoved Big so hard that he nearly toppled over.

"There's no need for us to fight, guys," Tails said coming between both groups. "We can work this out if we all calm down and talk about it."

Cheese suddenly let out a furious cry and flew right into Tails' gut. Tails got immediately thrown back and would've fallen if Sonic hadn't caught him. In retaliation, Knuckles was about to punch Cheese when Cream used her flapping ears to fly right up to Knuckles and kick him in the face.

"Don't even think about hurting Cheese," Cream said as she landed. "Or I'll hurt you back!"

Then with that, the two groups charged at each other.

###

"Should we interfere?" Shawn asked, watching the fight between the two groups of unusual humans with animal ears and tails sticking out from them.

"I'd rather not," Rouge said as she took the Silver Chaos Emerald from Omega's hand and stared at it longingly. "I'm just glad we found a Chaos Emerald in this crazy city."

" _And I got to smash Eggman_ _'_ _s robots in the process_ ," Omega said slowly curling its fists in triumph. " _Now let_ _'_ _s find Dr. Eggman_."

"I was just about to say the same thing," Rouge said and followed Omega who turned away from the fight and walked towards the edge of the building they were standing on.

"Wait," Shawn said, and pointed at Sonic. "That blue-haired one…what's his name?"

Rouge looked in Shawn's direction and replied, "Oh, that's Sonic the Hedgehog. He's currently possessing the body of a boy named Sonny Hedge, who's a nice kid but not the brightest when it comes to love."

"You mean the girl with the pink hair is his…girlfriend?"

"In a way," Rouge said with a shrug. "Still thinking about interfering?"

"No," Shawn responded following behind Rouge. "I have no experience with such matters."

###

"All right! We liberated the city from Eggman's robots for good!" Charmy exclaimed, buzzing around for joy around the remains of four robot turtles.

"It's a good thing the city was evacuated by G. U. N.," Espio said, putting away his shuriken. "Otherwise, we'd have to explain ourselves to terrified civilians."

"Come on, Espio," Vector responded. "We're not that terrifying."

" _Chaotix Detectives!_ " shouted the voice from the walkie-talkie. " _Do you copy?_ "

"Copy!" Vector said as he answered. "We destroyed most of Eggman's robots like you asked us to."

" _Good! Now head for Casino Park next,_ " the voice said. " _I_ _'_ _ve received word that's where Eggman has retreated to._ "

"Okay, we're on it!" Vector said as he hung up. Then he turned to Charmy and Espio and said, "Well, boys, it looks like we're heading for Casino Park and looking for Dr. Eggman there."

"Sweet! Let's gamble there while we're at it!" Charmy said excitedly.

"No, that would be too risky considering how poor we are," Espio said. "Right, Vector?"

However, Vector was staring off absentmindedly with a big grin on his face. "You know, that's actually not a bad idea."

Espio sighed irritably and reluctantly followed Charmy and Vector who were charging off down the empty street in an excited hurry.

To be continued…


	45. Chapter 45: Lucky

Chapter 45: Lucky

In Casino Park, which was a special city where gambling was legal in the United Federation, Sonny Miles and Chuck were walking down an empty street with neon signs and buildings flashing all around them while a night sky was barely visible.

"Ugh, I can't believe I had to fight Amy over some stupid misunderstanding," Sonny groaned.

"But at least we won the battle," Chuck said patting Sonny's back.

"And they believe we didn't steal their friends so they'll probably stop following us," Miles added.

"Yeah, but I feel terrible," Sonny sighed.

"Maybe a little gambling will cheer you up," Chuck responded waving his hand over all the buildings before them. "We've got this whole place to explore and who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky."

"Chuck, we don't have time for that," Miles said irritably. "At this rate, we've only got one more day before Dr. Eggman unleashes his Ultimate Weapon onto the world."

"Wait a second," Sonny said abruptly. "Doesn't it seem odd to you that we're the only people walking about?"

"Maybe everyone's inside the casinos and hotels," Chuck said shrugging his shoulders.

"Let's investigate," Miles said and walked into the nearest building that said 'Bingo Highway' with Sonny and Chuck behind him.

###

"Are you sure this is good idea, Amelia?" Crème said nervously. "My mom won't like it if I told her we went to Casino Park."

"Then she doesn't have to know," Amelia said. "Amy told Sonic she believed him so he'd be satisfied, but we're both still suspicious."

"I want to go to Bingo Highway," Biggs said, pointing up at the sign to a nearby building. "That looks fun."

"Yes, it does," Crème said, then she noticed three familiar figures walking in. "And I think I saw Sonny walk in with his friends."

"Really? Then let's go!" Amelia said and led the charge.

###

"Amazing," Shawn muttered, looking at all the neon-signs. "I never knew Mobius had such spectacular places. If only my sister were here to see this."

Rouge Baxter suddenly chuckled. "Don't tell me you were raised onboard the Space Colony ARK for the majority of your life?"

"I was, since I was four," Shawn replied hesitantly.

"No way," Rouge responded as her eyes widened. "It must've been lonely and boring up there."

"Not entirely," Shawn answered. "I had my sister, my grandfather, and a boy who used to play with us."

"What was the boy's name?"

"I can't remember, but I think his last name was…Baxter, or something like that."

"Did this boy happened to have albino hair with one red eye while the other was blue?"

"Yeah," Shawn said looking at Rouge. "How did you know?"

"He's my father."

"Oh, uh, I see." Shawn turned away and blushed slightly. "It's funny how I'm not only a guy from a different time but also a freak with weird powers."

"Hey, you're not a freak," Rouge said putting a hand on Shawn's shoulder.

In response, Shawn sighed. "That's what my grandfather used to say to cheer me up, even though my parents feared me when they found out."

"That's harsh."

"It also didn't help that I was…adopted."

After a brief pause, Rouge said, "So your sister wasn't related to you?"

Shawn shook his head. "My parents adopted me when I was an infant because they wanted a kid without having to necessarily…make love. But four years later my ability to warp to different places manifested, which frightened them immensely and so they had Marie, my sister by adoption. They'd hoped she would be their 'normal' child, but they were wrong. She was diagnosed with NIDS after she had been born. Then my adopted mother died of birth complications, and my adopted father was killed in a car accident, which led to Professor Gerard taking me and Marie up to the ARK where we were raised in isolation from the world below us."

"Well, that's certainly more tragic than my childhood," Rouge responded awkwardly. "My mother died when I was really young, and so my dad raised me. He was very strict, overprotective, and extremely pushy. He's lightened up over the years, but I still feel like he doesn't trust me and keeps his secrets to himself. It was only recently that I learned about his involvement with the ARK, which was tragic in of itself, but it made me question his moral standards and so I ran away."

"What happened?"

Before Rouge could answer, Omega flew down from the skies and landed in the middle of the empty road with a loud _boom_.

"Geez, Omega, couldn't you have made your entrance a little quieter?" Rouge said sarcastically. "You could've woken up the whole town."

" _We must make our way to Bingo Highway at once_ ," Omega said pointing to a building with a large pinball-shaped track on top of it. " _I saw Dr. Eggman_ _'_ _s robots up there when I was searching the skies, and so it is only logical to assume that Dr. Eggman is there as well._ "

"All right, then let's get going," Rouge said as she changed into Rouge the Bat once more. "By the way, why are you calling your creator by the name of the spirit that possesses him instead of his actual name which is Dr. Robotnik?"

" _That was the name he told me to call him by,_ " Omega answered as he took off into the sky.

"I see," Rouge said, picking up Shawn and following Omega.

###

"Eggman has to be here," Espen said, looking at the buildings suspiciously. "There aren't any people walking about, and all the hotels and restaurants we've passed appear to be empty."

"But we haven't tried Bingo Highway yet," Charles said, pointing to the building. "Wanna check it out?"

"Sure," Victor said, taking the Yellow Chaos Emerald he had found at Seaside Hill out of his sweatshirt pocket. "I'm feeling lucky tonight."

"If we are going to gamble, Victor, don't wager the Chaos Emerald," Espen scolded. "It's too valuable to give away for multiple reasons."

"Then we'll just use it as a last resort," Charles said. "Now let's get in before the slot machines close."

As Charles led the way, Victor followed behind while Espen took up the rear.

###

"I should've known you would be here, Eggman," Sonic said standing on a neon-blue platform with Tails and Knuckles on either side of him. "Running away to a town full of gamblers sounds just like you."

Up above, Eggman laughed inside his floating Egg Mobile. "Well, now that you've found me, you'll have to die of course!"

With a wave of Eggman's right hand, dozens of robots appeared out of thin air and surrounded Sonic and the boys on all three sides.

In response, Sonic smirked. "Nice trick, Eggman. You should teach me that after the show."

"I'm afraid the show's not going to end till you've dropped, boys," Eggman responded. "Now dance for me!"

The robots immediately started firing their guns and lasers, but Sonic and the boys quickly dodged them and tore their way through until every single robot was nothing but a pile of scrap metal. However, Eggman just waved his hand again and more robots appeared. This continued several more times till Sonic and the others had demolished every single robot Eggman threw at them.

Curling his hand into a fist, Eggman flew off in his Egg Mobile saying, "You may have won this time, but I've still got the upper-hand. Midnight has passed, so you only have one more day to stop me from unleashing my Ultimate Weapon!"

As Eggman turned his back to them, Tails flew up in the air and threw something at the bottom of the Egg Mobile.

"What did you do, Tails?" Knuckles asked.

"I planted a tracking device on the Egg Mobile," Tails answered, taking out a small device with a beeping dot in the center of it. "Now we can follow Dr. Eggman to the location of his Ultimate Weapon more easily."

"Good job, Tails," Sonic said excitedly. "Now let's get moving!"

To be continued…


	46. Chapter 46: Deception

Chapter 46: Deception

"Hey, Tails!" Sonic shouted as the _Tornado 2_ landed on a butte that overlooked Rail Canyon. "How much time do we have to destroy the Ultimate Weapon?"

"Till sunset!" Tails responded, shutting down the plane's battery which was powered by the Cyan Chaos Emerald they found at Ocean Palace. "If my calculations are correct, we should find Dr. Eggman at Bullet Station which is down this canyon."

"So how do we get there?" Knuckles asked as he stepped out of the plane.

"The rails!" Tails exclaimed, pointing to a set of three rails that began at the edge of the butte and continued along the cliff-sides of the canyon walls. "It'll be a lot faster that way since the canyon's too narrow for the _Tornado 2_."

"All right, then let's go!" Sonic said, and hopped onto the nearest rail.

Knuckles followed his example while Tails took the Cyan Emerald from the engine and caught up to Sonic afterwards.

###

"Shouldn't I let my mom know that we're here?" Cream asked as she flew Amy and Big up to the butte where the _Tornado 2_ was parked.

"Not until I catch up to Sonic," Amy responded.

"But he said he didn't kidnap our friends," Big said.

"I know, but I'm now starting to think that maybe Eggman took Froggy and Chocola instead of Sonic," replied Amy.

"That would make sense," Cream agreed. "But what would he need a frog and a Chao for?"

"How should I know? I'm not an evil genius," Amy said dismissively. "If we can beat Eggman, we'll not only get our friends back but also Sonic will adore me for sure!"

###

"This has to be the place," Rouge the Bat said, running her hand along the _Tornado 2_ 's side. "Sonic and his friends have clearly been through here already."

"Then we'll follow their trail," Shawn said and slid onto the middle rail. "If they're after Eggman as well, we need to hurry if we want to kidnap him. I need to know how I ended up in that pod and who Shadow is."

" _After we capture Eggman, can I destroy him afterwards?_ " Omega asked, following Shawn's lead.

"Yes, you may do what you like to him," Shawn answered as his voice got lower.

Rouge saw the same black aura that nearly enveloped Shawn back in Grand Metropolis envelop him again as he glided along the rails with expert ease and occasionally warped ahead to take care of enemy robots.

###

"I can see why our client told us to come here," Espio wondered looking around the canyon as he, Vector, and Charmy were riding one of Eggman's armored trains a ways down after defeating most of the robots onboard. "This place is crawling with Badniks."

"You said it," Charmy said as he sighed from exhaustion.

"We're not done yet, Charmy," Vector said. "We've still got several miles to go before we reach Bullet Station. That's where I client said Dr. Eggman should be."

Charmy groaned in response. "My wings are tired, Vector, and my stinger feels weak."

"Quit complaining," Espio said taking some more shuriken blades out of his pockets. "The sooner we nab Dr. Eggman, the quicker we get paid."

That comment made Vector stretch his arms and crack his knuckles before he stepped off the train onto the rails while Charmy and Espio followed him.

###

Eventually, Sonic and the boys found themselves at Bullet Station where Eggman came flying in the Egg Albatross which was the Egg Hawk attached to a blimp.

"You must be running out of ideas if you're attaching your old ships to blimps," Sonic said in Eggman's direction.

"It's called being resourceful, Sonic!" Eggman shouted back. "And this thing packs more of a punch than the old model."

"We'll see about that," Knuckles said curling his fists as he ran.

Dr. Eggman just laughed in response and started firing the Egg Albatross' cannons.

###

At an identical Egg Albatross further back, Shawn was confronted by a version of himself with slanted red pupils, white gloved hands, black hedgehog ears and a matching tail. Before he could question it, the other Shawn warped and kicked him the gut. This in turn forced Shawn to fight the imposter, while Rouge carried Omega up to the top of the blimp where he proceeded to punch through it. The blimp immediately deflated, and a gaping hole was left in the Egg Hawk. Eggman tried to escape in the Egg Mobile but Omega caught up to him and removed Eggman's head from his body, revealing it to be dummy head attached to a spring.

As the dummy head of Eggman laughed in response, Shawn had twisted the neck of the imposter and sparks flew as it fell to the ground. For a brief second, the black aura returned and hedgehog ears appeared on Shawn's head. Rouge noticed and immediately flew down.

"Are you okay, Shawn?" Rouge asked.

The black aura subsided, and Shawn sighed. "I'm fine. Let's catch up to Eggman before he gets too far."

"Shawn, wait!" Rouge said, but Shawn was already down the rails toward the canyon's end.

" _Why have you not told him the truth?_ " Omega asked, appearing behind Rouge.

"Because I don't know if he can handle it," Rouge answered. "Having been asleep for fifty years has hit him pretty hard, though he doesn't want to admit it, and so if I told him about what happened while he was possessed by Shadow he would be devastated."

" _If that black aura indicates Shadow's awakening as you claim, then it won't be long before Shawn finds out_."

"Then we'd better hurry," Rouge said and flew down along the rails to catch up to Shawn while Omega did the same.

###

"Wait a second," Sonic said raising an eyebrow. "The Eggman we fought was a dummy?"

" _You thought you had me cornered this time, didn't you?_ " the fake Eggman said as its spring-loaded head popped out. " _Well you were wrong! I brought you to this place to stall for time as my Egg Fleet launched with the Ultimate Weapon and there's nothing you can do to stop it!_ "

"Sonic, look!" Tails said, pointing to a wave of black shadows that temporarily blotted out the setting sun as they made their way eastward.

"We're too late!" Knuckles exclaimed in anger. "Now Eggman will be able to conquer the world with that Ultimate Weapon of his."

Sonic watched the Egg Fleet fly overhead and curled his fists. "Not if we can help it!"

"Yeah, we shouldn't give up just because we missed the deadline," Tails agreed. "We've come too far to back down now!"

"If we hurry, we'll catch up to the Egg Fleet in no time!" Sonic said and ran toward the rails at the end of Bullet Station. "So let's go!"

"But Sonic, what about the _Tornado 2_?" Tails asked.

"Leave it!" Knuckles said as he followed Sonic. "Going back for it would only delay our progress."

Tails was about to speak, but in the end he decided to say nothing and flew into the air.

###

"Curses!" Amy shouted, kicking the fake Eggman in the Egg Albatross' wreckage over and over again. "This Eggman was just a phony!"

"Poor Cheese," Cream said as she tried to comfort the sad Chao. "I hope Chocola's okay."

"And Froggy," Big said.

Amy looked up at the sky as the Egg Fleet flew over and said, "Those have got to be Eggman's ships, and I bet that's where our friends are."

"You really think so?" Cream said, following Amy's gaze.

"Course I'm sure, now let's get moving!" Amy said and took off with her friends following her lead.

###

"Aw, come on," Charmy whined as the Eggman in the wrecked Egg Mobile popped its spring-loaded head and laughed maniacally. "We were so close!"

"This seems a little too elaborate for Eggman to me," Espio said.

"Should I call our client to let him know?" Vector said, reluctantly holding up the walkie-talkie.

" _What's going on? Did you find Dr. Eggman and destroy the weapons onboard the Egg Albatross?_ " the voice on the walkie-talkie said, surprising Vector.

"We found Eggman and destroyed the Albatross, but the Eggman we fought turned out to be fake," Vector said hesitantly.

" _As I expected him to be,_ " the voice replied.

"So you knew the Eggman we've been following was fake the whole time?" Espio said irritably, taking the walkie-talkie away from Vector. "Why didn't you tell us?"

" _I had to be sure, now listen carefully,_ " the voice said. " _There's a large jungle east of here. Go through it, and then you'll find Hang Castle which will teleport you to Mystic Mansion and from there you'll be able to get up to the Egg Fleet where the real Dr. Eggman will be waiting_."

"Got it!" Vector said, and pressed the off-button on the walkie-talkie.

"So we're going to a jungle next?" Charmy asked. "Can't we go around it?"

"It's the only way we get to Hang Castle," Vector replied. "And I'm not letting that paycheck get away from me."

"Paycheck?" Charmy wondered as Vector headed off in the direction of the Egg Fleet.

"He's referring to Dr. Eggman," Espio answered.

###

Up and down along Bullet Station, the four fake Eggman dummies melted into puddles of gray liquid that came together into a single form that resembled Sonny except with metal spikes and skin.

" _Life-form data copied,_ " the Sonny lookalike said. " _Now to proceed to Phase Three of my plan to destroy Sonic the Hedgehog once and for all_."

To be continued…


	47. Chapter 47: Memory

Chapter 47: Memory

"How much further do we have to go, Omega?" Shawn asked as he ran at a steady pace with Rouge and Omega on either side of him across a grassy butte that overlooked the Lost Jungle area which they had just traversed as the noon sun shone overhead.

" _My internal receiver is picking up signals from Dr. Eggman east of here at an increasingly further distance,_ " Omega answered. " _We must pick up our pace if we_ _'_ _re to intercept the Egg Fleet_."

"Wait a minute, boys," Rouge said as she put a hand up to her left bat ear. "I think we're being followed."

So the three of them climbed up the cliff-wall in front of them and waited on a small ledge. A few minutes later, some of Eggman's robots appeared and aimed their lasers upward. But then there was a flash of blue, yellow, and red and the robots were completely dismantled. To Shawn's surprise, it was the blue-haired boy who was apparently named Sonic and his two companions with the fox ears and zigzag tail respectfully.

"It's Sonic," Shawn said nervously.

"Rats," Rouge said to herself. "If they get involved, my plan is ruined."

"Sonic!" Tails exclaimed pointing up to the ledge. "Look up there!"

"No way," Knuckles said, noticing Shawn. "Is that Shadow?"

"It can't be," Sonic said. "That guy doesn't have the hedgehog ears and tail."

"Hey," Shawn said walking to the edge of the ledge and pointing at Sonic to get his attention. "What do you know about Shadow?"

Sonic scuffed. "Shouldn't you know since you're his host?"

"His what?" Shawn felt his hands go numb.

"Oh, so you don't remember anything that happened while you were possessed?" Sonic looked up at Rouge with an angry frown. "I'm surprised Rouge hasn't filled you in yet."

"Leave her alone," Shawn said defensively.

"Okay, boys, let's not fight over me," Rouge said, putting a hand on Shawn's shoulder and peering down at Sonic. "We're kind of in a hurry to catch up to Eggman, so if you could kindly shove off that would be great."

"Excuse me?" Knuckles said, glaring up at Rouge.

"Well, that's funny cuz we have urgent business with Eggman as well," Sonic said folding his arms.

Shawn did the same. "If you want Eggman so badly, then you'll have to get through us."

"I don't want to fight you, man," Sonic responded, changing back into Sonny. "You're just like me. We're both humans possessed by beings with powers that defy the laws of nature."

"Enough talk," Shawn said, and leaped down from the ledge. "Now let's fight!"

###

"I think we're lost, Vector," Charmy said, looking at the canopy that surrounded him and his companions on all sides.

"There's a grassy butte up there," Espio said, pointing to a cliff which three figures were currently climbing. "And it seems we're not alone."

Vector looked at the climbing figures and said, "Let's catch up to them. Maybe they know a way out of here."

"If you say so," Charmy said, and flew after Vector and Espio who were already running toward the cliff.

###

Amy heard sudden footsteps behind her and turned back to see what the noise was. At the edge of the butte she and her friends had just climbed, the Chaotix Detectives appeared only they looked slightly different. Apart from the slanted pupils they all had, the one on the left had a purple chameleon tail curled behind him, the middle one had a crocodile tail, and the one on the right had bee wings and antennae.

"Well, if it isn't Amy Rose," Vector said trying to sound casual. "This is an unexpected surprise."

"Indeed," Amy said mildly surprised. "My host heard about you guys from Knuckles' host Chuck, but I didn't think I'd see you again in person."

"Yeah," Vector replied. "It's funny that we ran into you three today when we ran into Rouge yesterday."

"Rouge?" Amy's ears perked. "Where?"

"Back at the Power Plant in Grand Metropolis," Espio answered. "She seemed intent on preventing us from going after Eggman and so we fought her group and unfortunately lost."

"She had this really big robot on her side that nearly creamed us with its cannon arms and a guy who reminded me of Shadow for some reason," Charmy added.

"What did he look like?" Amy asked.

"He wore a black jacket lined with white fur, had spiky black hair with red highlights, black jeans, and white sneakers lined with red," Espio said. "There also seemed to be golden rings attached to his ankles and wrists, which I found odd but I didn't get close enough to him to examine them more carefully."

Amy rested her gloved hand underneath her chin nervously and then she asked, "Did this guy happen to have the ability to teleport whenever he wanted?"

"Yes, and that's how he beat me," Espio said lowering his head.

"Um, Amy, shouldn't we be following Sonic?" Cream abruptly asked, tugging the skirt of Amy's dress.

"Right, I almost forgot," Amy said and waved at Vector before leaving. "It was nice seeing you again, Vector, but we've got to go!"

"Hey, wait up!" Vector said running after her. "Do you know how we can get out of Lost Jungle?"

"No, but Cheese knows," Big said and he and Cream ran to keep up with Amy.

"You mean the Chao that's flying next to Cream?" Vector asked.

Cheese nodded in response.

"Then you wouldn't mind if we borrowed him?" Espio said running towards Cheese with his hand outstretched.

"No!" Cream said, grabbing Cheese before Espio had the chance to snatch it. "I'm not giving Cheese up to anyone and we need him if we're going to get out of this jungle before sunset."

"But we need him too, so can't we just share?" Charmy said flying in front of Cream and facing her.

"Quit bugging her, you two," Big said, picking Charmy and Espio up by the collars of their shirts mid-run and tossing them back in Vector's direction.

The two collided with Vector, and they all toppled down in a heaping mess while Amy and her group ran onward.

"Wow, what a jerk," Charmy said getting up and flexing his wings to make sure they weren't broken. "We didn't mean to bug Cream, but we needed that Chao."

"If memory serves me right, Big is not very bright," Espio said crawling off of Vector. "Now if they're not going to give up the Chao, then our best chance of getting out of here is to follow them since they seem to know where they're going."

"Good idea, Espio," Vector said getting to his feet. "But we can't let them know we're following them, so we'll have to be extra quiet."

"Yes, Vector!" Charmy shouted, which caused Espio and Vector to glare at him. Then he said in a lower voice, "Um, yes, Vector."

"Good," Vector said giving Charmy a thumbs-up. "Now let's go."

To be continued…


	48. Chapter 48: Endgame

Chapter 48: Endgame

"What did Sonic mean back there about me being Shadow's host?" Shawn asked Rouge the Bat on their way to Hang Castle, which was a menacing structure with brimstone and pillars that was lit by an unusually bright orange moon overhead as the afternoon sky suddenly darkened.

"Well, um," Rouge hesitated.

"If you know something about it, say so!" Shawn snapped. "I know you've been keeping secrets from me this whole time since we've been traveling together."

"Really?" Rouge stopped and pointed at Shawn's wrists with the gold rings on them. "Then why haven't you told us about those silly bracelets?"

"They're not bracelets," Shawn said, covering the rings up with his jacket sleeves. "My adopted grandfather, Gerard, called them Inhibitor Rings. They keep my body from wearing out every time I use my powers."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Maybe I'll tell you if you explain why Sonic and his friends thought I was Shadow."

" _Rouge! Shadow! My internal receiver is picking up signals from inside the castle,_ " Omega said interrupting the two.

"Then it must be from Eggman," Shawn said and ran forward. "He'd better have the answers I seek once we catch him."

###

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Knuckles asked as he and the others approached Hang Castle.

"If Rouge's group went in there, then we're heading in the right direction," Sonic said confidently.

"This place gives me the creeps," Tails said shivering slightly. "Maybe we should turn back."

"No way, Tails," Sonic responded. "If this is what we have to go through in order to intercept the Egg Fleet, then we can't turn back."

Tails sighed in irritation as the three of them ran through the entryway.

###

"I think we're lost, Amy," Big said, looking around the premises of Hang Castle.

"But we can't be," Cream said, trying to hold back Cheese from flying into the entryway. "Cheese insists Chocola and Froggy are this way."

"Well, Cheese's ability to sense other Chao hasn't been wrong so far, so let's go!" Amy said, and charged forward.

###

"Whoa, did you see that?" Charmy said. "Amy's group just went into that scary-looking castle over there."

"That must be the Hang Castle our client was talking about," Espio said, catching up to Charmy. "If that's where the Chao's leading them, then we're on the right track."

"Hold on a second, guys," Vector said, doubling over as he wheezed. "I got to catch my breath."

"You just did that a few yards back," Charmy said buzzing around Vector's head. "What's the matter? Getting tired?"

"No Charmy, I just don't have as much energy as you do," Vector answered. "And you're not even running."

"Hey, flying can be just as exhausting," Charmy responded.

"Will you two stop bickering?" Espio said irritably. "As soon as Vector catches his breath, we'll go into Hang Castle."

###

"I can't believe we had to fight Eggman again only for him to get away," Sonic whined as Hang Castle vanished behind him and his friends while the sky grew brighter.

"But at least we escaped the castle," Knuckles said shaking his head. "Fighting robots and ghosts was a bad combination."

"And there's the Egg Fleet!" Tails exclaimed pointing toward the big ships that were flying overhead. "I'll fly you guys up there."

"Are you sure you can handle that, Tails?" Sonic asked. "I could give you an extra boost if you want with my speed."

"How?" Tails asked.

"I'll show you as soon as you start flying," Sonic said as he started walking back a few steps. "Knuckles, you might want to hold onto Tails."

"Uh, okay," Knuckles said, and grabbed Tails' feet as Tails hovered in the air.

As soon as Sonic was far enough, he rapidly spun himself into a ball and rolled straight towards Knuckles at such a high speed that Knuckles literally went flying into the air along with Tails. Once the momentum died down, Tails flew upward while Sonic grabbed onto Knuckles' feet.

"Sorry about your pants, Knuckles," Sonic said noticing the burn-marks on Knuckles' rear end.

"Apology accepted," Knuckles grumbled.

###

"Good thing we were all safely able to warp here," Rouge said standing on the edge of one of Eggman's ships in the Egg fleet along with Shawn and Omega.

" _Your help is much appreciated, Shawn_ ," Omega said turning his head towards Shawn.

"Don't thank me yet," Shawn said dismissively. "We've still got to find Dr. Eggman."

With Shawn in the lead, the three of them hopped from ship to ship until they came to the main battleship, which was the Egg Carrier, where they were confronted by Eggman inside a large mech he dubbed the Egg Emperor.

"Well if you're an emperor that means you've got treasure worth stealing, right?" Rouge said sarcastically.

"Nothing I have is yours to take, Rouge!" Eggman snapped. "Not even Shadow."

"Don't mistaken me for Shadow, Eggman!" Shawn responded. "I'm Shawn! Now release my cousin and tell me how I ended up in that pod."

"Not in your life, boy," Eggman said. "Or your next life for that matter!"

###

Amy's group had just reached one of Eggman's ships after Cream flew them all the way up when an explosion in the distance got their attention.

"I hope that wasn't Sonic's group," Cream said as she landed and her arms fell weakly at her sides.

"Let's hope not," Amy said as she stretched her feet where Big had grabbed them earlier.

"Could Froggy and Chocola be somewhere around here?" Big wondered.

"There's only one way to find out," Amy said, and ran for one of the warehouses on their ship which was guarded by robots.

###

"Now that's interesting," Vector said examining the walkie-talkie while he, Charmy, and Espio were temporarily resting after reaching another of Eggman's ships.

"What is?" Espio asked as he limped over on his swelled feet.

"The signal on this walkie-talkie is stronger here, which means our client must be nearby," Vector answered.

"How could our client be up here unless…he's a prisoner of Eggman," Charmy said as he got up.

As soon as he spoke, two explosions occurred one after the other on a large ship in the distance.

"What's happening over there?" Charmy asked.

"I don't know, but we'd better rescue our client before this whole fleet sinks," Espio said.

To be continued…


	49. Chapter 49: Encore

Chapter 49: Encore

" _My sensors have concluded that Eggman is completely destroyed,_ " Omega confirmed looking at the crumbled remains of the Egg Emperor mech at the bow end of the Egg Carrier.

"I thought we weren't going to kill him," Shawn said folding his arms. "Now how am I supposed to know what I missed?"

"Hey, Omega!" Rouge shouted as she stood near a locked door that was a few feet from the mech. "Could you be a dear and help me open this door? I think there might be something valuable inside."

" _Coming_ _, Rouge,_ " Omega said, and stomped over to the door.

After examining it closely, Omega curled his metallic hands and punched the door so hard that a hole was ripped through. He then grabbed the hole and pushed the door open. The minute Rouge stepped inside, the room lit up revealing rows of Shadow lookalikes inside pods similar to the one Shawn was kept in at Ocean Palace.

"What does this mean?" Rouge wondered out loud. "That the guy we've been traveling with this whole time…was an android?"

" _Negative_ ," Omega said, which surprised Rouge. " _If you look closely, these androids have hedgehog ears permanently attached to their heads. Shawn does not have such features, therefore he cannot be an android._ "

"So Eggman must've copied Shawn's DNA while he was inside the pod, which contained a fragment of Shadow's spirit essence, and made these things from it," Rouge said as she looked around. "But that still doesn't explain how Shawn ended up in the pod to begin with."

" _I do not know the answer as I was assigned to guard him after he had been sealed inside, but you should probably head back to Shawn. I will destroy this place before he has the chance to see it._ "

"You would do that for me?" Rouge said in a bewildered tone.

" _Please understand that I'm merely doing this to prevent Eggman from using these androids in the future, and Shawn shouldn't have to see what isn't true._ "

"Thanks, Omega," Rouge said and ran out of the room to see Shawn looking over the remains of the Egg Emperor.

"Did you find anything valuable in there to steal, thief?" Shawn asked bitterly without looking at Rouge.

"Was it really that obvious?" Rouge said sarcastically. "If you knew I was a master thief all along, why didn't you say something?"

"I suspected you were a thief because of your obsession with the Chaos Emeralds we collected, but I didn't know you were a master thief till now."

Rouge's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment and then said, "Well, if you must know I didn't find anything valuable in that room except worthless piles of junk."

The sounds of glass breaking and machines being crushed came from the room Rouge stepped out of, which got Shawn's attention.

"Is Omega in there?" Shawn asked.

"I told him to trash the place the minute I noticed there was nothing worth salvaging."

"Really? Mind if I watch?" Shawn stood up and turned to Rouge, who blocked him.

"Why were you looking over the remains of the Egg Emperor?" Rouge asked nervously. "Omega said Eggman was dead."

"Well Omega's scanners were wrong," Shawn answered. "The Eggman that's inside this mess is another fake, but it looks more realistic than the one we fought before."

As he spoke, something emerged from the wreckage behind him. It took on a gray liquid form, and then when it solidified Rouge gasped. But by the time Shawn turned his head the thing had flown off in a rocket-powered stream.

"What was that?" Shawn asked.

###

"I'm glad we defeated Eggman for good this time," Cream said looking at the wreckage of an identical Egg Emperor located on the starboard side of the Egg Carrier. "Though I hope we didn't hurt Eggman too badly."

"Who cares? Let's free our friends!" Amy said, and opened the hangar behind the Egg Emperor.

The hangar itself was dark, but Amy could hear faint croaking and snoring sounds coming from within.

"Froggy!" Big shouted running into the hangar.

"Chao! Chao!" Cheese said as he flew inside with Cream following him.

While Big cuddled Froggy and Cheese danced around in the air with the chocolate-colored Chao Chocola, Amy sighed in sadness.

 _I wish Sonic were here_ , she thought.

A patch of blue caught her eye, and Amy saw Sonic standing on the port side of the Egg Carrier with Knuckles and Tails on either side of him. Her heart raced but her mind was conflicted. A small tug brought Amy's attention to her side where Cream was standing.

"Go to him," Cream said.

After a brief pause, Amy nodded and ran towards Sonic through the maze of hangars and remaining robots that separated them.

###

"That was close call, guys, but we saved the day again," Sonic said triumphantly looking down at the clouds below them.

"Yeah, but that battle seemed too easy," Knuckles responded. "I was kind of expecting something more."

"Same here," Tails said.

"Sonic!"

In response, Sonic looked behind and saw Amy running towards him.

"Ugh, not again," Sonic whined and ran towards the rear end of the Egg Carrier.

Amy wasn't too far behind, and after some effort she managed to catch him.

"Amy, get off me," Sonic said, trying to resist her attempts to kiss him.

"Aw, Sonic, don't I deserve a little reward for defeating Eggman?" Amy said pleadingly.

"Eggman? I think you've made a mistake."

"Why?" Amy asked.

"We just defeated Eggman."

"No way! Eggman can't be in two places at once."

"Then that means they were probably fakes," Shawn said approaching Sonic along with Rouge and Omega.

"Shawn?" Sonic said with a puzzled expression.

"We just fought Eggman as well, but he turned out to be a fake," Shawn answered.

"But why would Eggman create a bunch of fake versions of himself?" Amy asked.

"Allow me to explain."

Sonic and the others turned to see the Chaotix Detectives approaching them with Dr. Eggman being dragged along.

"Vector," Sonic said as Big, Cream, Tails, and Knuckles caught up to the rest of them. "What's going on?"

"This is the real Dr. Eggman, though technically his host Dr. Robotnik," Vector answered. "We found him locked inside a warehouse near the rear of the Egg Carrier being guarded by a fake Dr. Eggman inside an Egg Emperor mech."

"When was he locked up?"

"Three days ago."

"Wait a minute," Tails said stepping forward. "I thought you broke yourself out of prison, Dr. Robotnik. Why would you lock yourself up afterwards?"

"I wasn't the one who broke out of jail," Dr. Robotnik insisted. "Or lock myself up for that matter. This has all been the work of—

A metallic echoing laughter interrupted Dr. Robotnik. Everyone looked up at the Egg Carrier's tallest tower and saw a small figure standing on top of it.

"Metal Sonic!" Sonic exclaimed. "You were the one who did all this?"

" _Of course, Sonic!_ " Metal Sonic responded. " _I did the same thing last time_."

"Last time? I don't know what you're talking about."

" _You mean you don't remember? What a pity. After all, it was I who killed you._ "

"Killed me?"

" _As our world was coming to its natural end, I merged with Mephiles the Dark to become a single being known as Metal Mephiles. With this new form, I slaughtered all your friends in order to get you to fight me. By the time you did, the world was nothing but fire and rock. We battled each other for several days until we both killed one another. I assumed that would be the end, but it's not. The world has been reformed and we have all been reborn inside these new bodies that serve as our vessels_."

"But how could you have been reborn? You're a machine!"

" _You think humans and animals are the only ones who have souls? Think again! Machines can have souls as well, especially when they are strong like mine_."

"Then why do you remember what happened in our previous lives and I don't?"

" _It must be because your soul is weak. Now, to finish what should've ended long ago!_ "

Metal Sonic raised his hand into the sky and released a bolt of blue plasma energy. In a few seconds, the Egg Carrier's main tower was destroyed, followed by a tornado with metal parts flying everywhere while Eggman's robots came running from the tower. They passed Sonic and the others as the metallic parts combined and reformed. By the time it was over, the tower was replaced by a terrifying metallic blue dragon with two cyclops eyes and large spikes on his head and tail.

"We're all doomed!" Dr. Robotnik cried. "Metal Sonic has completely transformed using the data he collected and the power of Chaos."

"Data?" Amy wondered. "What data?"

"Those fake versions of myself he forced you to fight were merely copies of himself," Dr. Robotnik explained as he turned to Sonic and the others. "He did this in order to collect data on your individual fighting skills and abilities to accumulate them into a suitable form that could destroy all of you."

"And that dragon-thing is the result," Sonic said, looking up at Metal Sonic's new form.

"But if that robot was possessed by Metal Sonic's spirit the whole time, then how come he didn't speak when I encountered him on Angel Island?" Knuckles asked.

"That's because that version of Metal Sonic wasn't possessed by Metal Sonic's spirit," answered Dr. Robotnik. "It wasn't until after my evil counterpart, Dr. Eggman, rebuilt him that he started to act strangely. But by the time I realized it, Dr. Eggman had already prepared the Egg Fleet with the intention of taking over the world once more and given Metal Sonic the ability to shapeshift and copy other's abilities."

"You sure know a lot for a guy who was fully possessed by his spirit for a long time," Tails noticed.

"Well, I…managed to work things out with Dr. Eggman, though as the Egg Fleet demonstrates we don't always get along," Dr. Robotnik said hesitantly.

"So how are we supposed to beat that thing if it's practically unstoppable, cousin?" Shawn said stepping forward.

"My goodness, Shawn!" Dr. Robotnik exclaimed. "Is that you?"

"You haven't answered his question, Doc," Rouge said impatiently.

"But I would like to know—never mind. This isn't the proper time." Dr. Robotnik shook his head and said, "The only way we can defeat Metal Sonic now is with the Chaos Emeralds, and I have no idea where those could be!"

"Don't sweat it, Doc, we have some," Rouge said, and took the Silver and Red Chaos Emeralds from her cleavage.

"Same here!" Sonic said as Tails showed the Cyan and Green Chaos Emeralds he had been keeping in his pockets.

"Us too!" Big said, showing the Purple Chaos Emerald.

"Ditto!" Charmy said as Vector and Espio showed the Yellow and Blue Chaos Emeralds.

"Splendid!" Dr. Robotnik said trying to hide his surprise. "Now all we need is a miracle."

"I'll take care of that," Sonic said.

"Then I'm coming with you," Tails responded, taking a step towards Sonic.

"Yeah, we can't let you have all the fun," Knuckles said, doing the same as Tails.

"You guys," Sonic said hesitantly.

"We'll keep Metal Sonic busy," Shawn said with Rouge and Omega nodding in agreement. "So take as much time as you need to utilize those things."

"We're going to help too," Amy said as Cream and Big looked at each other. "Right, guys?"

After a pause, Cream and Big nodded their heads in unison at Sonic.

"Good luck, boys," Vector said giving a thumbs-up. "We'll do what we can to stall that metal creep up there."

"All right, guys, let's do this!" Sonic said with enthusiasm in his voice.

While the other groups went off to deal with Metal Sonic, Sonic Tails and Knuckles stood in a circle. As the seven Chaos Emeralds floated around their heads, they placed their hands into the center of the circle while Sonic closed his eyes. The three of them were then surrounded by multi-colored lights and from it emerged Super Sonic with Tails and Knuckles encapsulated inside bubbles of light.

Meanwhile, despite the groups' best efforts, Metal Sonic managed to grow metallic wings from his hands and take flight. As he flew off into the distance, Super Sonic Tails and Knuckles went after him. The others watched from the Egg Carrier's bridge in anticipation as flashes and explosions were occurring where Metal Sonic and Super Sonic had gone.

###

When the battle was over, Metal Sonic had lost his dragon-like form and resorted back to his original form of being a metallic lookalike of Sonny with hedgehog ears and tail. He was about to fall when Super Sonic caught him. As Super Sonic tightened his grip around Metal Sonic's small neck, the robot just laughed.

" _You may have defeated me, but I'm probably not the last reincarnated enemy you'll ever encounter_ ," Metal Sonic said weakly.

Super Sonic then punched a hole through Metal Sonic's face and let his body fall to the unseen ground below.

"If I meet enemies like you, Metal Sonic, I'll be ready for them," Sonic said, then he turned to his friends. "Let's head back to the Egg Carrier."

The flight back was quiet and by the time they reached the Egg Carrier the cloudy sky had cleared up and sunlight was streaming down. On the bridge Shawn seemed to be arguing with Rouge, but Sonic and his friends were too far up to hear what they were saying. As soon as they landed, though, Amy immediately went after Sonic who in turn ran away as the Chaos Emeralds left him to scatter across the world on their own. Big and Cream cheered Amy on while Dr. Robotnik tried to sneak away, but the Chaotix Detectives noticed and went after him to get the money he promised them.

"I don't believe you, Rouge," Shawn said turning away. "Not anymore."

"But…" Rouge said hesitantly. "But it's true."

"What's going on?" Tails said approaching the two but he was blocked by Omega.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Knuckles complained.

" _I don't think it would be wise to interfere,_ " Omega said.

"Then can you at least tell us what they're arguing about," Tails offered.

" _I'm not at liberty to speak of it._ "

"I thought robots can't lie," Knuckles said.

" _The matter is concerning Shawn's identity and his apparent absence from current events_."

"By current events, you mean the ARK, right?" Tails asked.

" _I believe so._ "

"That's what I thought."

"Well, I don't get it," Knuckles said. "Mind filling me in?"

"It's quite simple. Shawn is the—

"Wait, Shawn!" Behind Omega, Rouge was flying after Shawn who was running to the edge of the Egg Carrier. "Where are you going?"

"To find the answers myself, about Shadow, the ARK, Gerard, and Marie's whereabouts," Shawn answered before he warped away.

"Shawn," Rouge the Bat muttered before transforming back into Rouge Baxter and sobbing uncontrollably.

To be continued…


	50. Chapter 50: Debt

**50th Chapter! I never thought I would make it this far, but thanks to all you guys who've been reading and reviewing my fanfic I feel like I can continue on ! Now, since this next story-arc is based on _Shadow the Hedgehog_ I'm going to be mostly telling it from Shawn's perspective instead of Sonny's so hopefully you'll enjoy it!**

Chapter 50: Debt

 _It_ _'_ _s been three months since I started my search, and so far I haven_ _'_ _t learned anything about Shadow,_ Shawn thought as he stood underneath a tree on the edge of a clearing within the city of Westopolis' main park. _All I know for certain is that a massacre happened on the ARK fifty years ago that caused Marie to go missing, me to be put in suspended animation for some reason, and Gerard to die of insanity. Then a few months before Rouge woke me out of that pod, Dr. Eggman had reactivated the ARK in order to use its Eclipse Cannon to threaten the world into submission but he was thwarted by The Blue Blur, who I_ _'_ _m sure is actually Sonic. I have no recollection of what happened between injecting myself with that alien_ _'_ _s blood and waking up in that storage-room, but I keep having nightmares of things I don_ _'_ _t remember doing. What does it all mean?_

Shawn suddenly felt a sharp pain from his forehead and in his mind he saw Marie running down a dimly lit corridor with him as gunshots fired behind them. She looked nervously at him but he said nothing. Then they came into a circular room where he told her to stand in a place he pointed to with his finger. Marie obeyed him, and then he pressed a button that caused Marie to be encapsulated inside a tube-shaped pod made of glass. Instead of calling out his name, Marie cried, 'Shadow!' before the pod vanished underneath the floor.

 _What was that? Some kind of memory?_ Shawn wondered as the images faded from his mind.

It was then that he noticed the bright afternoon sky being covered by dark-red clouds that rolled in suddenly. This was then followed by sudden flashes of lightning as a mass of dark shapes came falling out of the clouds and down into the city's downtown district. A strange noise caught Shawn's attention and noticed a strange creature floating towards him that looked like a black starfish with a single red eye in the center. But just as Shawn was about to run, the creature blinked and a holographic image appeared of a tall figure with black robes but no visible legs, three-fingered hands, and a monstrous head consisting of two horns and three eyes.

"I know you," Shawn said, thinking back to when he accidentally peeked on his adopted grandfather having a conversation with the same creature but in the flesh. "You're Black Doom, leader of the Black Arms aliens."

The holographic creature paused and then he said, " _ **Indeed, Shadow the Hedgehog. It**_ _ **'**_ _ **s been several eons since we last met and I see you**_ _ **'**_ _ **ve obtained a new form**_."

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Shawn said, playing along. "Now my memory is kind of fuzzy, so remind me what happened when we last met."

In response, the creature known as Black Doom chuckled. " _ **I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m surprised you**_ _ **'**_ _ **ve forgotten already, but I**_ _ **'**_ _ **ll give you the benefit of the doubt considering how much time has passed. If you really wish to know, then bring me the seven Chaos Emeralds**_."

"And if I refuse?"

" _ **Then I**_ _ **'**_ _ **ll make you do it since you bear my mark**_."

Shawn then felt a stinging sensation on his right arm. He rolled up his coat-sleeve and noticed a strange mark appear on the inside of his elbow where the needle with Black Doom's blood had penetrated. It was a dark red swirl with spikes attached and seemed to be swelling up as the stinging sensation turned into burning.

Unable to bear the pain, Shawn said, "All right, I'll do as you say. Just stop. Please."

" _ **That sounds reasonable**_ ," Black Doom said and pointed his middle finger at the mark.

The swelling stopped, but the mark was still there.

" _ **I expect results, Shadow,**_ " Black Doom said as his hologram vanished. " _ **Don**_ _ **'**_ _ **t disappoint me.**_ "

As the black starfish floated away, Shawn examined the mark more closely and took a few deep breaths. "I don't trust Black Doom at all, but he seems to know Shadow and can control my body with this mark. So if I want answers and a means of saving myself, then I have no choice but to do as he says."

###

Upon reaching the downtown area of Westopolis, Shawn walked into a strange battlefield where black creatures of all shapes and sizes were fighting against men in dark blue military uniforms who fired at them with a variety of guns. Fortunately, there were no civilians around as Shawn warped from place to place looking for any sign of the Chaos Emeralds. After jumping over a highway that had been ruptured by one of the black creatures, Shawn saw a familiar face with blue hair and green eyes.

"Hey, Shawn!" Sonic said, waving. "Where have you been?"

"That's none of your business," Shawn replied walking up to him.

"Okay, I was just asking," Sonic responded, noticing more black creatures appearing down the street. "Want to give me a hand at dealing with these Black Arms guys? I think they want payback for what Shadow did to their forces long ago, before the world was reformed."

"So Shadow fought these things before?" Shawn said as he dodged one of the big creatures as it charged at him.

"You mean he hasn't told you yet? What have you been doing all this time?"

"I've been traveling the world trying to find answers to Shadow's identity."

"You won't find what you're looking for by traveling to foreign places. Just look inside yourself, and you'll find Shadow there."

"What are you talking about?"

It was then that Shawn noticed something glimmer beyond the group of Black Arms creatures that were charging towards him and Sonic. As Sonic jumped into the air and landed on each of the aliens' heads as a spinning blue ball, Shawn warped over to where the glimmering thing was. To his surprise, the object was a big green gemstone that had an unnatural glow.

Shawn picked the gemstone up and examined it closely.

" _ **In case you**_ _ **'**_ _ **ve forgotten, that gem you hold in your hand is a Chaos Emerald**_."

Shawn looked up and saw the black starfish from earlier floating a few feet from his face.

"Black Doom?"

" _ **No, but Black Doom channels himself through me**_ ," the black starfish answered. " _ **You may refer to me as Doom**_ _ **'**_ _ **s Eye, and I**_ _ **'**_ _ **ve been assigned to watch your progress in collecting the Chaos Emeralds. Now pick up that gun right next to your feet and take out some of these pathetic humans in your search for the next Emerald which I sense nearby.**_ "

As Doom's Eye watched, Shawn looked down and saw a dead military soldier holding a semi-automatic rifle in his hand. He tried to pry the gun from the soldier's hand but failing to do so, Shawn resorted to taking a pistol that was hanging loosely from the man's waist. After checking the magazine, Shawn locked the pistol into place and warped further down the street where more military soldiers were fighting Black Arms creatures. Unsure of which side he wanted to shoot at, Shawn instead chose to ignore both groups and proceeded towards a shiny blue object he presumed to be the Chaos Emerald Doom's Eye was talking about. Once he reached it, he picked the Emerald up and was about to warp away when Doom's Eye appeared and created Black Doom's holographic image in front of Shawn.

" _ **What are you doing, Shadow?**_ " Black Doom said in an irritated tone. " _ **You were supposed to take town the G. U. N. soldiers**_."

"I thought I was only supposed to collect the Chaos Emeralds," Shawn said, walking through Black Doom's hologram. "If you had wanted me to fight G. U. N. as well, why didn't you say so earlier?"

" _ **Do not question me!**_ " Black Doom snapped. " _ **For such insolence, you must be punished appropriately!**_ "

The holograph of Black Doom raised his hand at Shawn, and a bright light followed which made Shawn flinch in place. When the light died, Shawn found himself lying on the ground face-first with the Chaos Emeralds lying near his hands. Once he got to his feet, he noticed that he was no longer in Westopolis City but a large canyon with green tops and various structures carved out of the sides.

"What is this place?" Shawn asked out loud. "I don't think I've ever been here before."

Off in the distance, he could hear faint gunshots and explosions.

"Something's going on over there," Shawn said, and looked in the pocket of his hoodie to see that the pistol he took from the dead G. U. N. soldier was still there. "I should probably investigate it. Maybe it'll lead me to the next Chaos Emerald."

To be continued…


	51. Chapter 51: Mission

Chapter 51: Mission

Once Shawn got close enough, the explosions got louder and he saw that they were being caused by G. U. N. soldiers firing at the Black Arms who were fighting back with their own weapons. He also noticed a teenage boy who looked to be about sixteen with long red hair punching Black Arms aliens with unusually large fists. Once Shawn warped behind the teenager and walked toward him, the teenager turned around revealing it to be Knuckles.

"Shawn!" Knuckles exclaimed. "How'd you get here?"

"It would take a while to explain," Shawn answered, holding his pistol up and firing it at a Black Arms alien that was heading toward Knuckles.

"Suit yourself," Knuckles said and went back to punching incoming Black Arms aliens while Shawn fired bullets at them. "I was just chilling out here on break from guarding the Master Emerald when these aliens started showing up and taking over the place. Fortunately, the G. U. N. soldiers are here, but I'm worried they won't hold out for very long. Would you mind giving them a hand further up while I take care of these guys?"

"Well, I'm kind of in a hurry but I guess I could help them while I'm looking for Chaos Emeralds," Shawn answered and warped away before Knuckles could ask him further questions.

###

Further down the canyon, Shawn decided to trade his pistol for a semi-automatic rifle.

"It seems that when I have a Chaos Emerald on hand, I can warp further distances," Shawn said to himself, and then he felt another headache.

The image that came to his mind was him standing on top a giant robot looking down at Sonic. When Sonic noticed him, he took out the Green Chaos Emerald. There was a flash of light, and then Shawn was standing on the roof of a building that was adjacent to the robot.

" _ **Shadow the Hedgehog,**_ " said Doom's Eye appearing in front of Shawn. " _ **I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m very disappointed in you**_."

"What did I do this time?" Shawn asked irritably as the image faded from his mind. "I was just on my way to getting another Chaos Emerald."

" _ **Liar!**_ " Doom's Eye said impatiently. " _ **I saw you firing bullets at our soldiers! You**_ _ **'**_ _ **re no different from the way you were before.**_ "

"Before? What do you mean?"

" _ **Silence!**_ "

Shawn suddenly felt the mark on his arm burn, which caused him to wince in pain.

" _ **Now, are you with us or against us?**_ "

"I'm…with you, the Black Arms," Shawn said with conviction despite the burning sensation growing worse.

" _ **Good**_ ," Doom's Eye said, and the pain in Shawn's arm went away. " _ **Now, I need you to activate the six jewels that are scattered throughout this canyon in order to activate this temple under our feet. If you accomplish this task**_ **without** _ **injuring our soldiers, I shall reward you with a Chaos Emerald**_."

Then Doom's Eye floated away, leaving Shawn dumbfounded.

###

Though Shawn did as Doom's Eye asked, he did not fire at the G. U. N. soldiers. Unfortunately, they assumed he was on their side and fired at him constantly. He mostly warped out of the way, which distracted the G. U. N. soldiers enough to allow the Black Arms aliens to attack. As soon as the last sphere-shaped jewel had been activated, Doom's Eye appeared once more and produced the Yellow Chaos Emerald from its tentacle-like arms.

Shawn eagerly took the Chaos Emerald and said, "Where do you want me to go next?"

" _ **Cryptic Castle,**_ " Doom's Eye replied. " _ **There**_ _ **'**_ _ **s another Chaos Emerald there and I want you to take care of a certain mad scientist who is disrupting our plans**_."

"You mean Dr. Robot—I mean, Dr. Eggman?"

" _ **Precisely.**_ "

There was a flash of light, and Shawn soon found himself inside a dimly lit chamber that was circular in shape. Circuit boards and machines lined the walls except for a row of glass near the roof. Through them, Shawn could see Dr. Robotnik flying around in the Egg Mobile.

"Is that Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman?" Shawn wondered. "If it's Eggman, he must know a thing or two about Shadow."

Stepping out of the transporter device the Black Arms had left, Shawn stepped through a door that opened automatically. On the other side, he found himself standing in a hallway made of brimstone with torches lined along the walls with floating robots shaped like scarecrows and ghosts. Making his way past the robots, Shawn eventually came upon a pink-haired girl with hedgehog ears whom he remembered fighting Sonic back at the Power Plant in Grand Metropolis City.

"Shawn!" the girl exclaimed. "Long time no see."

"Do I…know you?" Shawn asked.

"We must've never been properly introduced," the girl said, and held out her white gloved hand. "I'm Amy, but my host's name is Amelia."

"Shawn Robotnik," Shawn said, taking Amy's hand.

"Aren't you Shadow's host?"

"What?"

"Oh, sorry," Amy said shyly. "That's what Tails told me, anyway."

Shawn raised an eyebrow. "Who's Tails?"

"He's a friend of Sonic's. I'll introduce you to him later, but right now I'm…kind of having a dilemma."

"What kind?"

"Well, my friend Cream went into this castle a little while ago and she…never came out. So I went into to look for her, but I have no idea where to start. Do you think you could help me?"

"Ugh, I don't have time for this," Shawn muttered, and warped ahead of Amy by several meters.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Amy yelled, running after Shawn. "Don't leave me behind!"

###

Once he got to the courtyard of Cryptic Castle, Shawn noticed the Silver Chaos Emerald floating in midair.

"Finally," Shawn said exasperatedly as he had been warping non-stop throughout the entire castle. "I've found another Chaos Emerald."

But before he could reach it, a large mech appeared from a hole underneath the floor with Dr. Robotnik sitting in the driver's seat. He used the mech's robotic arm to grab the Silver Chaos Emerald and said triumphantly, "Well, well, if it isn't my host's dear cousin Shawn Robotnik. So good of you to drop in, but I wish you could've picked a better time."

"Eggman!" Shawn exclaimed. "Give me the Chaos Emerald! I need it to find out who Shadow is."

Dr. Eggman chuckled. "You must be joking! This Chaos Emerald belongs to me and me alone. Now get out of my way, or do I have to crush you like the Black Arms that are storming my castle?"

"If you're going to crush Shawn, then you'll have to get past me!" Amy shouted, charging at Eggman's mech with her Piko Hammer.

To be continued…


	52. Chapter 52: Doubt

Chapter 52: Doubt

"Amy!" Shawn exclaimed as he watched Amy swing her Piko Hammer wildly at Eggman, who attempted to crush her with his mech's mace-like arm while in the other he held the Silver Chaos Emerald.

"Don't worry about me," Amy responded, blocking the mech's mace arm with her hammer. "Just grab the Chaos Emerald!"

"But I don't want you to needlessly sacrifice yourself for me," Shawn said, aiming the semi-automatic rifle at Eggman's mech. "You don't even know why I need that Chaos Emerald to begin with."

"It's important to you, right?" Amy said as she got out of the way of the mace-arm as it fell where she stood. "That's enough of a reason for me to help you."

Before Eggman could lift the mace-arm, Shawn fired multiple rounds from the semi-automatic. The mech endured almost every single bullet until Eggman commanded it to leap into the air. Shawn and Amy ran as Eggman's Mech landed and tried to crush them both. Fortunately, Shawn managed to load another magazine into the rifle and immediately fired another round of bullets into the mech. Like before, the mech managed to endure the bullets but a few sparks and ruptures started to occur along the mech's mainframe.

Eggman grumbled and detached the Egg Mobile from the mech. "This isn't over yet, Shawn!"

As Eggman flew off, several flying Black Arms aliens followed the Egg Mobile into the twilight sky. Meanwhile, the mech fell into a heap of metal and wires while the Silver Chaos Emerald floated toward Shawn. As Shawn took it, Amy watched with fascination.

"When you said I was Shadow's host, what did you mean?" Shawn asked as he placed the Silver Chaos Emerald in the front pocket of his jacket where the other Chaos Emeralds were.

"Well, that you have…a spirit named Shadow who lives inside you," Amy said nervously.

"How do I know you're telling the truth and not just saying what Rouge told you to?"

Amy folded her arms defensively. "I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't spoken to Rouge since I confronted her onboard the Space Colony ARK."

"Was this when Eggman tried to blow up Mobius with it?"

"Yeah, and Shadow was there if you don't believe me."

"How do I talk to him?"

Amy pondered for a few moments then she snapped her finger. "You know, I bet Miles' special hypnosis technique might be able to help you get in touch with Shadow."

"Miles?"

"He's Tails' host. I'll take you to him if you help me find Cream."

Shawn sighed. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

###

After rescuing Cream and her Chao friend Cheese from a dungeon inside Cryptic Castle, Amy took them both to Crème's mother who was staying at an inn near the castle where she changed back into Amelia and Cream turned back into Crème. While Shawn came with them, he stayed out of sight from the G. U. N. soldiers that were heading in to deal with the Black Arms aliens. They were also evacuating the inn's residents and taking them back to Central City inside G. U. N.-owned helicopters. By concentrating on the four Chaos Emeralds in his pockets, Shawn was able to warp inside the helicopter where Amelia, Crème, and her mother were just as it was taking off. Once he was there, Shawn put the hood of his jacket up to cover his face and quietly sat next to Amelia. Neither of them spoke for the entire trip, and then once they landed in Central City Shawn got Miles' address from Amelia before taking off.

 _This search for Shadow is growing more confusing the further I go,_ Shawn thought as he wandered through Central City's park. _Is he really a spirit that lives inside me, or something else? The Black Arms seem to know him. Hell, their leader has practically mistaken me for Shadow. Maybe when Black Doom's blood fused with my DNA, it created an alien being that took over my body and was dubbed 'Shadow' by Gerard. That would explain why I don't remember anything from fifty years ago to a few months back, but then why hasn't he tried to take over my body once more?_

The grass underneath Shawn suddenly vanished in a flash of light and replaced by an endless black void of stars. He looked around and the rest of the park had vanished as well in a void of stars and distant planets. When he looked behind him, Black Doom himself was floating there.

" _ **Shadow, you seem to be troubled,**_ " Black Doom said.

"What do you want?" Shawn asked in an irritated tone.

" _ **I wanted to show you something**_." Black Doom waved his hand over the space in front of Shawn.

One of the distant stars grew brighter until it was revealed to be Mobius. The sun was coming up over the horizon which illuminated a floating object the size of a large circular meteor. Shawn immediately recognized the object.

"That's the Space Colony ARK!" Shawn said as he pointed.

" _ **What you are seeing is a mere illusion I created based on your memories**_ ," Black Doom answered.

"You can read my mind? How?"

" _ **Since my blood is coursing through your veins, I can control your body and even your mind if I wanted to.**_ "

Shawn instinctively looked at the mark on his forearm, which wasn't swelling at the moment. "Why are you showing me this?"

" _ **To remind you that humans are selfish creatures who will do anything to get what they want, even at the cost of other lives. This was the ARK fifty years ago, on that dreadful day you don't seem to recall. Never forget those images that you see and this is why.**_ "

Black Doom waved his hand again, and Shawn was suddenly standing inside a dimly-lit hallway onboard the ARK. He heard voices and shouting closing in, then from around the corner appeared himself only it wasn't exactly him. His irises and pupils were more slanted than usual, and he seemed to be sporting a pair of black hedgehog ears and white gloves covered his hands. A small hedgehog tail poked out from behind his back as he ran past Shawn dragging a young girl with shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a navy-blue dress.

"Marie!" Shawn shouted, running after the two while behind him G. U. N. soldiers appeared and started shooting.

Fortunately, the bullets passed right through Shawn. But just as they were about to hit his other self and Marie, the scene changed and Shawn was soon standing in a room with a glass window that overlooked the planet Mobius below. His other self and Marie entered through a sliding door behind him and then Marie stepped into the middle of the room. Immediately, she was encapsulated inside a glass tube and Shawn turned around to see himself standing behind a control panel with one hand on a button and the other on a lever.

"Shadow!" Marie cried, banging on the glass tube. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm saving your life," Shawn's other self said in a voice that sounded different from his own. "I don't want you to suffer the same fate as Maria."

"Forget Maria!" Marie responded. "She's long dead! I don't want you to die in my place when my brother's still inside you."

"I won't die, Marie," Shadow said, gripping the lever tightly. "Now go and explore the world below."

Before Marie could protest, Shadow pulled down the lever and the glass tube shot out into space. Then just as the hole closed up, the G. U. N. soldiers came in and pointed their guns at Shadow while behind them stood a handcuffed Gerard. Reluctantly, Shadow raised his hands up and stepped toward the G. U. N. soldiers. The scene faded to white and Shawn heard Black Doom's voice growing distant.

" _ **I'm sending you to the Iron Jungle now where the mad scientist has retreated his forces to for the time being. I want you to eliminate him and take whatever Chaos Emeralds you can find there.**_ "

To be continued…


	53. Chapter 53: Double

Chapter 53: Double

When the whiteness faded, Shawn found himself standing in front of an exact replica of himself but with hedgehog ears and tail.

"It's the same type of android I faced back in Rail Canyon," Shawn said, reaching his hand out to touch it. "Why do they look like me when I was possessed by Shadow?"

"Shadow Androids!"

Recognizing the voice, Shawn ducked behind the android and stood very still as Eggman flew down from the canopy above in his Egg Mobile and hovered over the rows of androids that stood on the concrete pathway.

"Those Black Arms aliens may have forced me to retreat back to my base, but I will not be taken alive by the G. U. N. soldiers if it's the last thing I do!" Eggman shouted with his fist raised. "I need you all to buy me time so that I can escape without detection."

In response, the Shadow Androids opened their eyes and warped away as Eggman retreated into the building behind them. Shawn warped as well, and appeared again a few feet down the pathway facing the building Eggman retreated into. He shook his head a couple of times and crossed his arms tightly. The images that now flashed through his mind consisted of flying through space, the ARK with a giant lizard attached to it, a bright flash, Super Sonic, falling toward Mobius, and blackness.

"What do these images mean?" Shawn said to himself. "I don't remember any of them consciously, but my gut tells me that they really happened. But if that's the case, Shadow must've still been in control of my body when Eggman released me from suspended animation prior to his reactivation of the ARK. Then as Shadow, I helped Sonic prevent the ARK from crashing into Mobius but at the cost of my life. So how can I still be alive? Unless I'm…an android as well."

Several badnik robots came charging out of the building with their lasers blasting when Omega suddenly appeared behind Shawn. He fired multiple cannon rounds at the badniks, who fell like dominoes and exploded in succeeding rows. As a result, the concrete bridge shook a little but it fortunately didn't break.

"Omega," Shawn said once the noise died down.

" _Greetings, Shawn,_ " Omega said reloading his cannon arms. " _I was not expecting to see you in a place like this._ "

"It would take awhile to explain," Shawn responded. "Are you with G. U. N.?"

" _Yes,_ " Omega answered. " _My orders are to capture Dr. Eggman alive. Would you like to come along?_ "

"Uh, sure, why not?"

Then just after Shawn spoke, a large blimp appeared from behind the building Eggman retreated to and was flying past them.

" _My scanners detect Eggman onboard that vessel,_ " Omega said. " _We must shoot it down._ "

While Omega fired his cannons along the blimp's sides, Shawn looked around the wreckage of Badnik robots and found a rocket-launcher that still functioned. Using it, Shawn was able to pierce the blimp's balloon which caused the blimp to catch fire. Eggman then steered the burning blimp inside a hidden cove below the building on the side Omega just came from. So while Shawn used the four Chaos Emeralds he had to warp into the cove, Omega relied on his rocket-powered feet to catch up. Once inside, the two were cornered by a bunch of Shadow Androids that warped out of nowhere.

" _Eggman_ _'_ _s signal is growing distant,_ " Omega said as he punched every single android that came at him. " _You must go after him alone. I will take care of these androids._ "

"No, Omega," Shawn responded while avoiding the incoming androids. "I'm not leaving you behind."

" _I will be fine, Shawn. Take this._ " Omega retreated his hand inside his arm and produced the Cyan Chaos Emerald which he gave to Shawn. " _It will help you find Eggman if he has a Chaos Emerald on him._ "

"Thanks," Shawn said, and placed the Cyan Chaos Emerald in the same adjoining pocket where the other Chaos Emeralds were before warping away.

###

Inside a large circular chamber, Shawn found himself confronting the same mech he fought back at Cryptic Castle with Eggman inside it.

"Curse you, Shawn!" Eggman said. "How could you betray me like this?"

"What do you mean?" Shawn asked. "Are you saying that I'm like those…androids that look like me."

Eggman paused, and then he said, "Yes. You were created after the real Shawn Robotnik had died preventing the ARK from colliding with Mobius while he was possessed by Shadow."

"Then why don't I have the same hedgehog ears and tail that the other androids have?"

"That's because you weren't fully mature when Rouge released you from that pod."

"I don't believe you! There's something you're not telling me, and I intend to find out."

"Try and stop me, boy, but you won't get far!"

Eggman then programmed the mech to charge at Shawn who immediately warped out of the mech's way and appeared behind an anti-aircraft cannon. He fired several rounds into the mech, but the mech jumped and it would've crushed Shawn until he managed to warp away. It was then that Omega appeared through the door which Shawn used and fired several rounds from his cannon arms at the mech. As a result, the mech toppled over and left Eggman exposed.

"Omega, you traitor!" Eggman shouted, trying to detach the Egg Mobile from the mech like before. "I created you, and this is how you repay me?"

" _I was built to fight, but instead you locked me up,_ " Omega said, picking Eggman up by the collar of his jacket. " _So it was_ _ **you**_ _who betrayed me first. You should be grateful that G. U. N. wants you alive because if that wasn_ _'_ _t the case, I would terminate you right now._ "

While Omega was talking to Eggman, Shawn picked up the Purple Chaos Emerald that was sticking out of Eggman's coat-pocket. Once he put it with the other Chaos Emeralds, Shawn was about to walk away when his name was called. He looked over his shoulder and saw Eggman reaching out to him.

"I lied," Robotnik said, having relinquished Eggman's control over him. "You're not a Shadow Android. The truth is…I found you lying unconscious near the Ocean Palace, and so I placed you inside that pod to heal your body. Of course, at the time I thought you were still possessed by Shadow and programmed Omega to guard the pod in case you broke out for any reason."

"So what was I doing near Ocean Palace to begin with? Why did you need Omega to guard me? Were you afraid of Shadow or something?"

"Well, I didn't know what he would do. One minute he was helping me find Chaos Emeralds to power the Eclipse Cannon, and then the next he's aiding Sonic in preventing the ARK from hitting Mobius, which wasn't my doing at all."

"Wait, you didn't cause the ARK to almost collide with Mobius?"

"No, that was our grandfather's work. After you were put into suspended animation, he managed to program the ARK to collide with Mobius should the Eclipse Cannon be activated for any reason. He called it his way of getting revenge at the death of his colleagues who died from the ARK massacre and Marie's."

"Marie died?" Shawn felt his legs shake.

"That capsule that you—I mean, Shadow—launched into space was never recovered, so she was presumed dead."

"How do I know you're telling the truth and not more lies?"

"I'm not lying, Shawn! My altar-ego hacked all of the diary entries Gerard made while he was imprisoned inside the G. U. N.-owned Prison Island. If you don't believe me, go there."

"Maybe I will, Ivo, or I might not."

Shawn disappeared in a flash of light and appeared inside a prison cell where a tall man with white hair and differently colored eyes pointed a gun at Shawn's head.

"At last, Shadow, you're going to get what you deserve," the man said sternly.

To be continued…


	54. Chapter 54: Recompense

Chapter 54: Recompense

"It can't be," Shawn said, recognizing the man who held a gun to his head. "Bobby?"

The man lowered his pistol slightly. "Shawn?"

"Yeah," Shawn responded, folding his arms. "What made you think I was Shadow?"

"Forgive me, it's just that…you're wearing the same clothes as Shadow when he was in suspended animation."

"So I take it that you know all about the massacre onboard the ARK."

"Of course, Shawn. I'm now the commander of G. U. N., so I know everything they did. Plus, I was there when it happened."

"Then why did they spare you and not Marie?"

"If Shadow hadn't launched Marie into that capsule, they probably would've spared her as well."

"Oh, really? Then why did they put me into suspended animation?"

"Because you were possessed by Shadow, and at the time G. U. N. perceived him as a threat."

"Then why didn't they just kill him?"

"Gerard knew that killing Shadow would kill you as well, so he begged G. U. N. to spare your life. I would tell you to be grateful, but now I see that the only reason Gerard kept you alive was so that you could exact his revenge on the world for him by helping Eggman activate the Eclipse Cannon and cause it to fall toward Mobius."

"I had nothing to do with that! Shadow's the one you should be blaming, not me."

"Then how do I know you're not possessed by Shadow right now?"

"Do I have hedgehog ears? Does my voice sound like his?"

"No, but I can't let you live." The Commander readjusted his grip on the pistol. "You've been seen helping the Black Arms aliens in numerous locations, and collecting Chaos Emeralds along the way. Now I don't know what your game is, but it ends here."

"Do you really think shooting me will solve all your problems? I don't think this is about the Black Arms. You just want to avenge Marie's death by killing Shadow." Shawn warped behind the Commander and took the Red Chaos Emerald which was sticking out of the Commander's back-pocket. "But in order to do that you had to kill me. So you lured me here with a Chaos Emerald because you figured I was warping to wherever the Chaos Emeralds were."

"Why, you little—

By the time the Commander turned around, Shawn had already warped away.

###

After the blinding flash that followed, Shawn found himself in a dark place with rocky walls that glowed purple and could hear strange noises in the distance.

"Where am I?" Shawn wondered.

" _ **Welcome to the Black Comet, Shadow the Hedgehog,**_ " Black Doom said as he emerged from the floor in front of Shawn. " _ **Have you got all the Chaos Emeralds?**_ "

"Sure thing," Shawn said, reaching into his jacket-pocket. "But first, you need to tell me about my past dealings with you."

" _ **Well, aren't we a little anxious?**_ " Black Doom said, and pointed his middle finger at Shawn.

Immediately, Shawn flinched as his arm moved on its own and pulled out the Red Chaos Emerald from his jacket-pocket. Afterwards, Shawn raised his hands reluctantly and the other Chaos Emeralds flew out of his pocket and circled around him. Then after a few seconds, the Emeralds floated toward Black Doom who waved his hands over them and shouted, " _ **Chaos Control!**_ "

There was a brief flash of light, and then the whole structure shook causing Shawn to loose balance.

"What…did you just do?" Shawn said as he tried to get up but he was held down once Black Doom motioned his hand down.

" _ **I transported the Black Comet to the surface of your planet using Chaos Control in order to release toxins into the air that will paralyze every living thing so that we may harvest their energy more efficiently.**_ "

"You used me," Shawn muttered, struggling against the unbearable weight that kept him down. "You tricked me into collecting all the Chaos Emeralds just so that you could take over Mobius and turn it into your own personal energy-farm."

" _ **Precisely**_ ," Black Doom responded. " _ **Though I'm surprised you weren't suspicious considering that I almost did the same thing the last time we met, but you betrayed me after going through the effort of collecting all the Chaos Emeralds for me and destroyed my previous self.**_ "

"Your previous self?"

" _ **I am merely a copy of the original Black Doom who was created on the Black Arms' home-planet after our humiliating defeat on this world before it was reformed. We had returned fifty years ago and made contact with the ARK in secret since our Black Comet was not powerful enough to penetrate your planet's atmosphere. The human in charge of that space colony, Professor Gerard, agreed to find the Chaos Emeralds so that we could use them to teleport the Black Comet to the surface in exchange for a sample of my blood so that he could find a cure for his pathetic granddaughter.**_ "

"So you're saying that…my grandfather betrayed the human race…just so he could cure my sister?"

" _ **Exactly, Shawn Robotnik, adopted grandson of Professor Gerard.**_ "

Shawn's eyes widened. "How did you—

" _ **I have control over your mind and body, remember? Once I saw your memories, I knew you weren't the real Shadow but a mere vessel for his spirit which lives inside you. And now that you have fulfilled your purpose, here is your reward.**_ "

Shawn cried out as his body started to stiffen from the feet up and his brain burned like fire. In front of him, Black Doom vanished and in his place stood small creatures with slug-like bodies and one eyeball each. As they advanced toward him, Shawn concentrated hard and repeated Shadow's name constantly in his mind. When nothing happened, Shawn sighed and closed his eyes.

###

When Shawn came to, he was in a laboratory onboard the ARK with a large glass window that overlooked the planet below. A rectangular control-panel to his left reminded Shawn that this was the same place where Marie was launched into space by Shadow who had been possessing him at the time. As Shawn walked toward the window, he heard a door opening and closing behind him.

"Well it's about damn time you showed up. I thought those memories I sent would give you a hint."

Shawn turned around and beheld Shadow, who looked exactly like him except he had slanted red irises, white gloved hands, and a pair of black hedgehog ears with a small tail poking out behind him.

"Shadow," Shawn said, and pointed an accusing finger at him. "I've been looking all over the world for you, and I want answers."

"Then you'd better start asking," Shadow replied, folding his arms. "Time's running out for the both of us, and I'm not a very patient guy."

To be continued…


	55. Chapter 55: Hope

Chapter 55: Hope

"Okay, let me see if I've got this straight," Shawn said as he mentally recapped all the answers Shadow just gave him. "You're a spirit, or something like one, of a super powerful being known as The Ultimate Life-Form who was created on another ARK that existed before this one by a past version of Gerard and Black Doom. You were then hunted down by the G. U. N. soldiers of the previous Mobius who killed a past version of Marie while you got put into suspended animation like I did. Fifty years after, you were woken up by Eggman while he was alive and helped him activate the Eclipse Cannon of the previous ARK, which nearly crashed into Mobius, but you had a change of heart and stopped it from colliding into Mobius with Sonic's help.

"However you lost all your power and fell toward Mobius, causing everyone to think you were dead when you really weren't. Instead, you were found by Eggman and placed inside a healing pod which Rouge the Bat woke you up from. But you couldn't remember anything that happened previously until your encounter with Black Doom whom you eventually defeated after learning more about your past. Then after several adventures with Sonic and his friends you were killed by Metal Sonic and reborn inside me. Is that about right?"

Shadow nodded and walked up to Shawn till he was a foot's length away. "Now do you understand why I tried to save Marie?"

"Yes, but I don't know if I can forgive you for it," Shawn said, looking down. "If you hadn't interfered, she might still be alive today."

"Do you really believe what the Commander told you?" Shadow said mockingly. "His inclination to blame me for the events that occurred onboard this ARK stems from his previous life where he was also the Commander of G. U. N. and he blamed me for what happened to that ARK as well."

"So everything that has been happening up till now…already happened before?" Shawn looked at Shadow's eyes which didn't shift.

"Exactly," Shadow responded. "Now if we don't come to terms with each other, Black Doom may actually conquer Mobius this time."

"But why is it up to us? Can't Sonic and his friends take care of this?"

"Because we're the only ones who can, and this is why."

The screen where Shadow had been showing Shawn all of the things that happened while he was in control of Shawn's body lit up, and Gerard's face appeared. His eyes were obscured by his shades but he had a solemn look on his face. The room behind him was sparse and Marie's figure could be seen lurking in the open doorway.

"This was a private conversation Gerard had with me prior to the massacre," Shadow explained. "He wanted me to tell you this when Black Doom showed up again but I think it would be best if he told you."

" _Shadow the Hedgehog,_ " Gerard said slowly." _If Shawn is within you somewhere, I want you to let him know that in fifty years the Black Arms aliens will return inside the Black Comet, their ultimate weapon. Their intention is to take over the world and harvest energy from the human race. Under the threat of annihilation I promised their leader, Black Doom, that I would collect the Chaos Emeralds for him so that the Black Comet may be transported to Mobius' surface. If I die before completing this task, I want Shawn to take over for me but he must not give the Chaos Emeralds to Black Doom under any circumstances! Instead, he should use them to power the Eclipse Cannon, which is the only weapon that can completely destroy the Black Comet and the reason I built it in the first place._ "

" _Don't worry, Grandpa!_ " Marie said as she came up behind Gerard and held Shadow's hand. " _Shadow and Shawn will save the world, and I'll be there rooting for them!_ "

Gerard chuckled and put an arm around Marie. " _That's right. We're counting on you, Shawn and Shadow. You're our only hope_."

As the image on the screen faded, Shawn sighed heavily. "Well, that's just great! I did exactly what Gerard told me _not_ to do. We're screwed, aren't we?"

"Not yet," Shadow said, pinching Shawn's arm. "If we can get the Chaos Emeralds from Black Doom, there might be a chance to destroy him and the Black Comet."

"But how? Black Doom's got me paralyzed and there are slug-things that I'm pretty sure are about to eat me right now."

"Let me take over."

"What?" Shawn got out of Shadow's grip and backed away. "No. I'm not going through that again."

"I've dealt with Black Doom's mind-control powers before, so it won't affect me. Plus, I need to be in control in order to unlock the 'miracle' that happens when all the seven Chaos Emeralds are together and that's the only way we're going to be able to defeat Black Doom."

Shawn thought about it for a moment and then he said, "Fine. I'll let you take over if you promise to find a way to extract Black Doom's blood from my system so you don't have to permanently control me. But in exchange, I'll call on you when I need your help in the future."

As Shawn held out his hand, Shadow hesitated before he shook on it. "Deal."

"Then I guess we're settled," Shawn responded.

###

When Shadow came to, the slug-creatures were all over his body and were about to sink their pincer-like jaws into his flesh.

"Chaos Blast!" Shadow cried, emitting a wave of energy from his body that vaporized the slugs completely and pierced the surrounding walls.

Several footsteps came running toward Shadow, who steadily rose from the floor and warped in the direction they were coming from. They turned out to be hordes of Black Arms aliens, which Shadow plowed through with ease. He made his way to the center of the Black Comet, where he figured Black Doom was hiding as the number of aliens he fought grew larger. His assumption proved true once he reached the Black Comet's central control-room and saw Black Doom floating near the helm with the Chaos Emeralds floating over his head.

To be continued…


	56. Chapter 56: Salvation

Chapter 56: Salvation

" _ **I**_ _ **'**_ _ **m impressed, Shawn Robotnik**_ ," Black Doom said with bemusement. " _ **It seems I underestimated your own willpower.**_ "

"You're not talking to Shawn anymore," Shadow said as he walked slowly toward Black Doom. "I'm Shadow the Hedgehog, The Ultimate Life-Form and your demise."

Black Doom's three eyes widened and he quickly waved his hand before Shadow.

Shadow flinched slightly, but he kept walking.

" _ **How is this possible? You should be halting in your tracks right now**_."

"Just because I inhabit Shawn's body doesn't mean I'm susceptible to your mind-tricks as well," Shadow replied and rushed at Black Doom.

In a flash of light, Black Doom vanished. The Chaos Emeralds, however, were still floating. As the ceiling above started to implode followed by menacing laughter on the outside, Shadow closed his eyes and focused on the seven Chaos Emeralds above him. A bright light surrounded Shadow as the Chaos Emeralds circled around him, and then when it was over he was glowing as his hair had gone from black to bright-yellow with red highlights. Noticing an opening near the top, Super Shadow lifted himself off the ground and flew up to it.

Once he was outside, he saw three root-like things had lodged themselves into the ground from the Black Comet which were pulsing with energy. The area around the Black Comet consisted of the decimated buildings of a city with fire and smoke clouding the crimson-colored skies. On top of the Black Comet sat a monster with two dragon-like heads and one eye on each of them, which roared with laughter upon seeing Super Shadow.

" _ **You took the Chaos Emeralds just as I had predicted,**_ " said the monster in Black Doom's voice. " _ **Now prepare to meet your doom!**_ "

As the dragon took flight, Super Shadow followed. Once they were above the clouds, Black Doom raised his hands causing cars, cinderblocks, and even whole buildings to levitate around him. While Black Doom threw these things like projectiles, Shadow managed to avoid being hit by them and charged at Black Doom's front eye with an energy bolt shaped like a spear.

"Chaos Spear!" Shadow cried as he impaled Black Doom's eye.

While the front head of Black Doom roared in pain, Shadow quickly flew to the rear head and did the same thing. Unfortunately, two Chaos Spears weren't enough to take down Black Doom as he quickly regenerated. So Shadow was forced to use the same technique several times with each strike becoming more faster than the other. Eventually, Black Doom was unable to heal in time before Shadow's Chaos Spear impaled him not just through the front head but also the rear one. As the projectiles fell below the clouds, Black Doom tried to stay aloft but was unable to.

" _ **Impossible,**_ " Black Doom murmured as his wings finally gave out. " _ **I have been defeated not once, but twice by a puny**_ _ **…**_ _ **little**_ _ **…**_ _ **hedgehog.**_ "

Once Black Doom had crashed on top of the Black Comet, which managed to support his deadweight and was still absorbing energy from the planet, Shadow flew underneath the Comet and touched its underside with both hands. He tried to lift it, but the Comet wouldn't budge. So Shadow closed his eyes and pictured outer space as he shouted, "Chaos Control!"

In the blink of an eye, the Black Comet was orbiting the planet Mobius. Shadow then saw the ARK orbiting nearby and flew towards it. He used one more 'Chaos Control' to get into the control-room where he placed the Chaos Emeralds into the machine and then after setting the coordinates on the Black Comet, Shadow fired the Eclipse Cannon. In a matter of seconds, the Eclipse Cannon fired a bright-green energy beam at the Black Comet which shattered into fragments that flew in every direction with some parts raining down through Mobius' atmosphere.

 _I did this for you, Gerard and Marie_ , Shadow thought as he changed back into Shawn. _You were the only people who accepted me for who I was, and for that I_ _'_ _m grateful to you. But now, I need to move toward the future and leave the past behind for my sake as well as yours._

The last thing Shawn saw was the door to the control-room opening before blackness clouded his vision.

###

When Shawn woke up, he found himself in one of the medical facilities onboard the ARK which he recognized from the white walls, the lack of sheets on the bed he lay on, and the monotone hum of the engines. Surrounding him were Sonny, Amelia, Miles, Chuck, Rouge Baxter, Victor, Charles, and Espen who looked at him with concerned faces. But once they saw him looking at them, they all sighed with relief.

"What…happened?" Shawn said weakly.

"Well, apart from saving the world you collapsed in the control-room," Rouge answered. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Not really," Shawn replied. "I feel really drained and stiff."

"That's because we had to extract a lot of blood from you in order to remove Black Doom's blood from your body," Dr. Robotnik said, appearing behind Rouge. "It seems that once Black Doom died, the blood died as well and it would've killed you if we had not been here."

"I see. That's why I'm no longer possessed by Shadow," Shawn said as he tried to move, but failed to. "So how did you guys get onboard?"

"We used the teleporter Eggman had installed in his pyramid base," Victor answered.

"Of course, the base had been put under G. U. N.'s control since Eggman was no longer using it," Espen added. "This allowed us to get onboard and search the ARK's data-files for information on the Black Comet."

"Then while we were doing that, Sonic, Amy, Rouge, Tails, and Knuckles snuck onboard the Black Comet to destroy it from the inside," Charles said.

"Unfortunately, the Black Comet released some kind of gas that paralyzed them and so we had to transport them back here to wait for further instructions from the Commander," replied Espen.

"We thought all was lost until you showed up and started kicking Black Doom's butt!" Sonny said with enthusiasm. "Then when you warped here, the others wanted to help but Sonic told them not to because he knew this was your fight and Shadow's as well."

"All the same, I'm glad we were here," Miles noted. "Once I figured out how to use the ship's medical equipment, it was a synch to remove the alien blood from your system."

"Now what I would like to know is why the blood caused Shawn to get permanently possessed by Shadow," Amelia said abruptly.

Dr. Robotnik cleared his throat as he answered. "That's because the blood was meant to control Shawn so that he would do Black Doom's bidding once the Black Arms returned to the planet, but Shadow's spirit intervened and permanently possessed Shawn in order to prevent the blood from completely taking over. However, once Shadow had relinquished control over Shawn after the incident with the ARK in January Shawn became vulnerable to Black Doom's manipulation when he actually appeared. That's why Shawn's body stiffened during his confrontation with Black Doom onboard the Black Comet which stopped as soon as Shadow took over."

When Shawn gave Dr. Robotnik a confused look, Charles said, "In case you're wondering how we know, it's because the Doctor had the curtesy to send special robots into every part of the Black Comet with cameras attached to them prior to the infiltration."

"Oh," Shawn said reflectively. "But how are you not possessed by Eggman right now, Ivo?"

"I convinced the mad fool that in order to ensure the destruction of the Black Arms and the planet's safety, so it could be taken over at some point, it would make sense for me to take over," Dr. Robotnik responded.

Shawn looked around the room and asked, "Is the Commander onboard?"

"I am," the Commander said, stepping forward from the shadows. He took a deep breath and said, "Shawn…I'm sorry for the way I treated you and I was wrong to accuse Professor Gerard of being a traitor. Is there anything I can do to make amends?"

Shawn hesitated for a moment, and then he said, "Yes, there is something you can do."

"Name it, and I shall do what I can," the Commander answered.

"I want you to find Marie."

###

It had been two weeks since the Black Comet was destroyed, and there had been no other disturbances. While Eggman had escaped G. U. N. prison once more, he seemed to be inactive for the time-being. Sonny and his friends had resumed attending school in Central City, which had been attacked by the Black Arms but it wasn't nearly as damaged compared to Westopolis. As a result of the Black Comet's impact, the city was a desolate wasteland of its former self with rescue teams working day and night to rescue as many people from the ruins as possible. Fortunately, Sonic and the others were helping G. U. N. with these efforts including Shadow and Rouge which made the progress of rescuing trapped Westopolis civilians much quicker.

As the autumn breeze made the trees shed their colorful leaves, Shawn was looking solemnly down at a pair of gravestones on a lone hill in the middle of Central City park. While the one on the left said, 'Gerard Robotnik 1883-1951' the other gravestone said, 'Maria Lambert-Travis 1939-1965'. Reaching into his jacket-pocket, Shawn pulled out a photograph of Gerard and Marie sitting together that he took himself a long time ago. After tearing it in half, he put the half with Gerard on Gerard's grave and the one with Marie on Maria's grave respectfully.

"So, Marie, you decided to rename yourself after the girl you were reincarnated from after the capsule had crashed onto the property of Mr. and Ms. Lambert, who became your adopted parents after you'd decided to keep quiet about the events that happened onboard the ARK in exchange for regular medical treatment from G. U. N.," Shawn said staring intensely at Maria's grave. "Though you died at twenty-six, that's still pretty impressive for someone with NIDS, and you even managed to find a cure for NIDS in that time as well. I guess you must've inherited Gerard's genius, just like Ivo did before Eggman possessed him. Now I feel bad for teasing you back then about not being as smart as I was, because you've clearly surpassed me.

"Although if Shadow hadn't launched you out into space when he did, none of this would've happened. But…I can't help but thank him for giving you the opportunity to live a full life here on Mobius despite how short it was, and making me realize how special I was despite all the suffering I went through. Now, I know I'm kind of rambling at this point, but I just thought I'd drop by to say that I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you needed me and yet...I will always remember you as I move toward the future. You may not have been my real sister, but you were the closest thing I had to one."

While Shawn paused to briefly wipe his eyes, he heard soft footsteps approaching him. He turned around a spotted a girl about his age carrying a bundle of flowers in her hands and walking up the hill towards him. She looked a lot like Marie except her blonde hair went down past her shoulders, and she was wearing a navy-blue coat with a matching knee-length wool skirt, black stockings, and bright-blue dress-shoes. Once the girl saw Shawn, she blushed slightly and turned to walk away.

"Wait," Shawn said, causing the girl to stop. "Why are you leaving?"

The girl paused and then she walked up to Shawn. "I'm sorry, it's just that I'm not used to seeing other people in front of my grandmother's grave."

"Grandmother?" Shawn looked back at Marie's gravestone and then back at the girl. "So you're related to…Maria Lambert-Travis?"

"Why, yes," the girl answered and adjusted the flowers. "I'm her granddaughter, Maria."

Shawn's eyes widened and then he looked away as his own cheeks flushed red.

"Is something wrong?" Maria asked hesitantly. "It's my name, isn't it? Being named after my own grandmother and all."

"No, I was just thinking of something else," Shawn answered, looking back at Maria. He quickly cleared his throat and held out his hand. "I'm Shawn Douglas, and I know your grandmother's work pretty thoroughly."

"Are you a medical student?"

"No, I'm…more of a fan."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Maria exclaimed. "I've never met anyone who is a fan of my grandmother's work before. Tell me what you like about her as soon as I pay my respects to her."

"Uh, sure," Shawn replied and walked a little ways down the hill.

As he watched Maria lay down the flowers and kneel before Marie's gravestone in a prayer-like stance, he felt something flutter inside his chest. Once he realized it was his heart pattering, Shawn tried to calm himself down in steady rapid breaths. However, his heart-rate spiked up the moment he saw Shadow appear before him in a transparent form.

" _What the hell_ _'_ _s wrong with you?_ " Shadow asked rudely. " _Don_ _'_ _t tell me you find her attractive._ "

"Well, she is cute, but—

" _She_ _'_ _s your adopted grandniece, even if you were put into suspended animation fifty years ago when you were sixteen._ "

"I know that, but I wasn't expecting to run into her."

"Who are you talking to?" Maria asked looking at Shawn with a confused look.

"Um, no one," Shawn said, ignoring Shadow for the time-being.

To be continued…


	57. Chapter 57: Premonition

**Okay, this next story-arc is based on _Sonic_ _'_ _06_ and will thus be switching between Sonic, Shadow, and Silver's perspectives along with their human hosts' perspectives.**

Chapter 57: Premonition

With the holidays closing upon him, Sonny anxiously waited for them while he was also trying to finish up schoolwork and rescue trapped civilians in Westopolis as Sonic. While G. U. N. made sure that him and friends' identities weren't captured on camera or filmed, it was becoming more difficult with news anchors constantly reporting everything that was happening in Westopolis during the relief efforts and rescue operatives. Sonny was also constantly worrying about Eggman due to his recent lack of activity, which based on previous experiences indicated that he was planning something big.

On his way to lunch one snowy day, Sonny happened to pass by the classroom where The Blue Blur Fan Club met. Inside there were pictures taped to the white-board, though most of them were copies of the newspaper clipping depicting Metal Sonic impersonating Sonic as he was stealing Froggy and Chocola, and four girls shifting through a stack of newspapers. The one closest to the door had light-blonde hair that went slightly down past her shoulders and was wearing a blue long-sleeved dress with matching shoes and tights. Next to her, the second girl had pink hair that was braided into a long ponytail and wore a magenta peasant top with Celtic designs and a matching skirt that went down to her ankles. Across the table sat another girl with pink hair only hers was tied up in a ponytail that curved over her head while she wore a strapless top underneath a pink jacket and white khakis. Then the last girl who sat at the head of the table had short chestnut-brown hair, blue eyes, and wore a white cotton sweater with orange jeggings and red slippers.

For a brief second, Sonny made eye-contact with the girl who had the short chestnut-brown hair before walking away. He only got a few feet from the classroom door before he heard his name called. Turning back, he saw the girl with the chestnut-brown hair standing outside the club room. Reluctantly, Sonny walked up to the girl as students walked past him.

"What is it?" Sonny asked. "I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Then I'll get straight to the point," the girl said and took a deep breath. "Would you like to come to Soleanna with me for the holidays?"

"Soleanna? You mean that little kingdom in the tropics?" Sonny scratched the side of his head. "I don't know if I could afford it."

"It's a pre-paid trip, so you don't have to worry about travel expenses," the girl answered.

"Well, can I bring some friends with me?"

"Sure. How many?"

"About three or five depending on how many can make it."

"That's fine. I'm bringing my friends along too."

"Who's paying for it?"

"My father."

"He must be really rich or something."

"He's involved in politics. So is that a yes?"

"I'll think about it."

"Well, let me know soon okay?"

"So how do you know me? I don't think I've met you before."

"Oh, I'm Elise Soleanna, the president of The Blue Blur Fan Club. I sent you an invitation to join awhile back."

"Right. Sorry I didn't respond to the email."

"That's okay. I'll give you my phone-number so you can call me to let me know if you want to come to Soleanna or not."

"Sure."

After Sonny and Elise exchanged phone-numbers, the two parted ways.

" _I don_ _'_ _t think you should go to Soleanna, Sonny,_ " Sonic said appearing in front of Sonny in a ghostly form.

"Why not?" Sonny asked.

" _I just have a feeling that something bad will happen there._ "

"Was there a Soleanna in your time?"

" _Yeah._ "

"What happened?"

" _Well, the weird thing is_ _…_ _I don_ _'_ _t remember it very well. The only memories that come to mind are a festival and a girl._ "

"Sounds pretty harmless to me," Sonny said as he entered the cafeteria where Miles and Amelia waved to him from a seat near the back.

###

In the snow-covered tundra of White Acropolis, which was Eggman's northernmost base, Shadow was in the midst of fighting robots and dodging incoming missiles. He was told by the Commander of G. U. N. that Rouge the Bat had been sent in to retrieve something valuable but she hadn't made contact in a period of twenty-six hours. His main mission was to rescue her from the base unharmed with the item of importance intact, which the Commander didn't bother to describe since he figured that the less people knew about it the better.

It was after Shadow destroyed several searchlights using missiles launched from a four-wheel jeep that Rouge finally showed herself. She flew down on bat-wings that emerged from a specially designed purple winter coat with black snow-pants and white snow-boots with heels. In her white gloved hands, Rouge was carrying a scepter-like item with a purple gemstone adorned upon a shaft that pulsed a dark purple energy from within it.

"I was told that you needed rescuing," Shadow remarked as he folded his arms. "Would you mind explaining why you didn't make contact with the Commander after a twenty-six hour delay."

"My radio transmitter was destroyed while I was trying to grab this thing," Rouge answered as she showed the scepter to Shadow. "I'm not sure why, but it kind of looks...familiar somehow."

Shadow stared at the scepter carefully and then he said, "I know what that is. We have to get out of here now."

"Why?" Rouge asked as Shadow ran ahead of her.

Unfortunately, Shadow and Rouge's path was blocked by a large robotic dog that appeared out of a hole that appeared underneath the snowy ground beneath them. Once it spotted the two, the robot immediately charged at Shadow and Rouge causing small tremors in its path. While Shadow dealt with the robot head-on by warping onto its back and causing it to ram into the nearby walls, Rouge tried to back away but ending up tripping over her two feet. She hit the snow-covered ground hard while the scepter went flying out of her hands. Upon impact, it shattered onto the snow and a black substance escaped from the scepter's shaft and flew up into the sky. Shadow noticed as soon as he managed to destroy the robot dog for good and warped over to Rouge to help her up.

"What was that?" Rouge asked as the black substance disappeared into the gray clouds above.

"Something bad," Shadow answered. "Nothing we've ever faced till now compares to the evil we've just unleashed upon the world."

###

"Silva!"

A boy of sixteen turned when he heard his name called. He had long spiky ash-blond hair, yellow eyes, and wore a white fur-lined jacket with matching tight pants and knee-length black boots lined with yellow and blue. Behind the boy who was called Silva stood a girl about his age with medium purple hair tied up in a ponytail, golden cat-like eyes, and was wearing a purple fur-lined trench-coat with white jeggings underneath and purple sneakers. They were both standing in front of a mansion that was barely standing while the street behind them was littered with cracks and overturned cars.

"What is it, Blake?" Silva responded.

"I found an empty fast-food restaurant and managed to grab us some dinner," the girl with the purple hair responded, holding up two brown paper bags. "The meals in here are half-eaten, though."

"That's fine," Silva said taking one of the bags. "Do you know when the next G. U. N. helicopter is supposed to show up?"

"I don't know," Blake answered. "The radio said there should be one coming early tomorrow morning."

"But that's what they said last time, and yet we somehow missed it."

"Bad timing, I guess."

"I just still can't believe this is really happening to us," Silva said looking back at the ruined mansion. "A few weeks ago we were living there…and now it's gone. Instead of saving ourselves, we decided to stay and look for our parents. But that got us nowhere, and now we're stuck in this frickin' hellhole."

"Chill out, Silva. It'll make you hungrier, and we don't have a lot to eat at the moment."

"If it wasn't for that stupid comet…none of this would've happened." Silva reached into his bag and pulled out a half-eaten hamburger while Blake did the same. "I feel so useless, like I could've done something but was unable to."

" **I can remedy that feeling.** "

Silva and Blaze turned to the right and saw a mysterious figure walking toward them. He had spiky black hair with gray highlights, piercing green eyes with narrow pupils, while his mouth was covered by a black scarf he wore around his neck. His clothes consisted of a long black trench-coat with white fur-lining, black pants and matching shoes.

"Who are you?" Silva asked.

" **For now, you may call me Mephiles,** " the dark-haired figure answered. " **I** **'** **ve come with a warning in hopes that you two will prevent the events that will cause the entire world to be destroyed.** "

"Oh, yeah, and why should we believe you?" Blake said skeptically.

" **Because I can take you to the future that will result once these events come to pass** ," Mephiles answered, and took a large purple gemstone out of his trench-coat pocket. He held it aloft and shouted, " **Chaos Control!** "

In an instant, the decimated street Silva and Blake were standing on suddenly turned into the top of a skyscraper. While Mephiles stood nearby, the two looked over the edge and beheld a large city that was full of empty buildings, broken-down highways, and pools of lava surging underneath. One such pool grew especially large and from it emerged a fiery monster with several arms, a pincer-like mouth, and serpentine eyes.

"What the hell is that?" Silva exclaimed as he backed away and dropped his food in the process.

" **That is Iblis, an unstoppable creature made from the purest fire on Mobius known only as The Flames of Destruction** ," Mephiles said calmly. " **It destroys everything in its path and can regenerate quickly no matter how much damage is taken.** "

"So how do we stop this thing?" Blake asked nervously.

Mephiles folded his arms. " **I thought you didn** **'** **t believe me.** "

"Well, we believe you now," Blake responded and tore her half-eaten hamburger in half. "Right, Silva?"

"Yeah," Silva replied, taking the hamburger piece Blake gave to him.

" **The only way to destroy this monster is to eliminate the Iblis Trigger**."

"The Iblis Trigger?" Blake raised an eyebrow as she and Silva were eating their hamburger halves.

" **A single individual from your time-period who will be responsible for unleashing Iblis into the world. He is known as Sonic the Hedgehog, and he** **'** **s currently on his way to the country of Soleanna. I shall take you him.** "

Mephiles then held up the purple gemstone again, recited the words 'Chaos Control' once more, and a swirling vortex of purple light engulfed Silva and Blake.

To be continued…


	58. Chapter 58: Arrival

Chapter 58: Arrival

When Silva came to, he found himself lying in a grassy field with ancient ruins nearby.

"Blake?" Silva asked out loud as he looked around. "Blake!"

When he didn't hear anything back, Silva rubbed his head and got up.

"I must've gotten separated from Blake when Mephiles used that weird gem to teleport us to Soleanna," Silva said to himself as he walked along the beach. "If that's the case, then this must be one of Soleanna's valleys."

Seeing some people standing near the ruins, Silva made his way over to them.

"Um, excuse me," Silva said approaching a trio of men wearing matching pith helmets and brown explorer's uniforms. "Am I in Soleanna?"

"Indeed, young man," said one of the men who wore a pair of oval-shaped spectacles. "Did you just arrive here?"

"Well, sort of," Silva answered shyly. "Is there a town nearby?"

"Not anywhere in this valley," replied the spectacled man. "But the capital lies just beyond that jungle over there."

The man with the spectacles pointed to a cluster of trees at the far end of the valley.

"How long will it take me to get there?" Silva asked.

"From here to the jungle, it takes five hours on-foot," the man said adjusting his spectacles. "But to the capital from here, it'll take almost a full day."

"I see." Silva took a step forward and then he looked back at the spectacled man. "Thanks, mister."

"Wait, boy, you're not actually thinking of—

Before the spectacled man could finish his sentence, Silva was levitating into the air with a bright-blue aura surrounding him towards the green jungle that lay ahead.

###

"So this is New City, the capital of Soleanna," Sonny said as he looked at an assortment of gray and tiled buildings that surrounded him on both sides of a narrow street with hardly any cars or people passing by. "It's a lot smaller than I imagined."

"That's because its economy mainly centers on tourism and machinery," Miles answered. "And the country's current ruler is—

"Okay, Miles, that's enough," Amelia interrupted. "I didn't come here for history lessons."

"Yeah, and who assigned _me_ as the luggage-carrier?" Chuck said irritably as he tried to carry an assortment of suitcases and bags on his back. "This wasn't what I had in mind when you invited me to go on a vacation with you guys."

"Well, since you are the strongest member on our team it only seemed natural," Sonny said. "And there's Elise and her friends now."

Sonny pointed to a small circular plaza where Elise and the other three girls that were in the fan club classroom waved to them. He immediately ran over while Miles and Amelia followed close behind. Chuck on the other hand brought up the rear and ended up collapsing as soon as he caught up with the luggage falling on top of him.

"Oh, dear," said the girl with the blonde hair and blue dress. She walked over to Chuck and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Chuck said confidently as he got up. "It takes more than a few suitcases to put me down."

"So, I guess we might as well introduce ourselves," Elise said. "The blonde girl is Maria Travis, the girl with the pink braid is Merlina Camelot, the girl with the pink ponytail is Shahra Jinnee, and my name is Elise Soleanna."

The two pinked-haired girls nodded in response while the blonde girl smiled awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you all," Sonny said. "In case you didn't know, I'm Sonny Hedge and my friends are Miles Prower, Amelia Rosen, and Chuck Kidman."

After Sonny's friends shook hands with Elise's, the two groups walked together to a nearby building that turned out to be New City's most luxurious hotel. While Sonny and his friends were immediately impressed, Elise and her friends took it in casually. Once they got their rooms figured out and their luggage put away, the two groups settled for lunch in the hotel's main restaurant.

"Did Shawn tell you why he couldn't join us?" Maria asked Sonny who was midway through a chili-dog with every possible topping on it.

"He didn't say much," Sonny answered while eating. "Something about getting a call from work that he couldn't refuse."

"What does he do?"

"Well, he…delivers things for his boss," Miles said sheepishly. "Or retrieves things depending on what his assignment is."

"I see," Maria said as she looked out the window. Across the plaza, Maria thought she saw Shawn's hair from the back as he ran into a nearby alleyway with another girl following behind him.

"What's wrong, Maria?" Shahra asked, noticing Maria's shocked face.

"You look like you've seen a ghost or something," Merlina added, taking a sip from her teacup.

"I thought I saw…" Maria blinked and looked away from the window. "Never mind."

###

"Are you sure the G. U. N. rendezvous point is this way?" Shawn asked as he emerged from an alleyway that connected the plaza to a side-street.

"All the Commander told me was to head for the ancient castle that lay to the northwest of Soleanna's capital town," Rouge Baxter said unbuttoning her purple winter coat. Underneath it, she wore a pink long-sleeved shirt. "It's a good thing that Eggman's base had a teleportation device that took us directly to New City, but now I'm not properly dressed for the situation."

"Ugh, is that really important right now?" Shawn said, trying not to look behind him. "We've got worse problems to deal with, like Mephiles for instance."

"Oh, yeah," Rouge responded as she took off her long-sleeved shirt as well revealing a black camisole under it. "He was released before, right?"

"Yes, according to Shadow," Shawn answered. "He also said that Mephiles nearly destroyed the time-space continuum by merging with a monstrous creature called Iblis but was stopped by Sonic, himself, and another individual known as Silver the Hedgehog."

"Silver, huh? I wonder if his spirit was reincarnated as well."

"Probably, but the sooner we warn the Commander the harder it'll be for Mephiles to enact his plans."

"But do you really think G. U. N. is capable of going against something as powerful as Mephiles? Wouldn't it be easier to call Sonny?"

Shawn hesitated and said, "I don't want to drag him into this."

"Why? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I'll tell you later, now let's move. We don't have a lot of daylight left."

After crossing the side-street, Rouge Baxter quickly changed into Rouge the Bat and flew Shawn up to a cliff-like ledge that stood above the town and signified the entrance to Soleanna's Tropical Jungle.

To be continued…


	59. Chapter 59: Festival

Chapter 59: Festival

By the time Shawn and Rouge made it to the G. U. N. rendezvous point at Kingdom Valley, which was where Soleanna's abandoned castle stood, it was sunset.

"Sure seems like an odd place for a rendezvous point," Shawn remarked as he cautiously stepped into the main courtyard with Rouge right behind him. "This used to be where the duke resided, right?"

"Yeah, although he died ten years ago due to a sudden 'accident' that occurred here," Rouge responded.

"What kind of accident?" Shawn asked.

"Had something to do with an experiment to test a new source of energy, and if I remember my research correctly the project's name was—

" **Project Solaris.** "

Shawn and Rouge looked behind them and saw someone who looked like Shawn but with gray highlights, green eyes, and wearing a long black trench-coat.

"Who are you and why do you look like me?" Shawn asked.

" **Shadow, don't you recognize me?** " the person said, taking off his trench-coat to reveal an identical black fur-lined jacket and pants that matched Shawn's. " **I'm Mephiles the Dark.** "

Immediately, Rouge Baxter changed into Rouge the Bat and flew upward while Shawn warped and reappeared as Shadow where he kicked Mephiles in the back of the head which sent him flying into a nearby pillar.

While Mephiles was recovering, Shadow warped over to him and picked him up by the collar of his jacket. "I thought you died when the world ended."

In response, Mephiles laughed quietly underneath the black scarf that covered the bottom-half of his face. " **A being like myself never dies so easily. Once my host Metal Sonic was destroyed, I merely reverted back to the primordial substance I'm made from and waited for another vessel to occupy.** "

"Like the Scepter of Darkness?" Shadow said as he tightened his grip on Mephiles' neck.

" **As much as I hate that prison of a scepter, I knew you would eventually come along and seal me away, which is exactly what you did ten years ago, so I could steal your new form and be released once more in the present time.** "

"What is he talking about?" Rouge said as she landed behind Shadow. "You were never here ten years ago. Right, Shadow?"

" **No, he was not, but he will be.** "

Mephiles then turned into a dark purple substance which slipped out of Shadow's hands and sank into the ground. While Shadow and Rouge looked around for him, Mephiles appeared again a few feet from them. But before Shadow and Rouge could make a move, Mephiles engulfed them in a glowing purple energy orb.

" **I suppose I must reward you two for setting me free again,** " Mephiles said as he took the Purple Chaos Emerald out of his trench-coat pocket and concentrated on it. " **It's been so long since I've had a physical form that I've almost forgotten how wonderful it feels like.** "

"Where are you sending us?" Shadow asked irritably as he and Rouge started to vanish. "It had better not be the future."

" **Aww,** " Mephiles said looking up from the Chaos Emerald. " **Now you've ruined the surprise.** "

Before Shadow could respond, he and Rouge disappeared completely as the purple orb swallowed them up.

###

While the sun had gone down outside, Sonny Miles and Chuck were relaxing in their hotel suite when a sudden series of rapid knocks came from the door. Reluctantly, Sonny got up and answered. It turned out to be Amelia, and she was wearing a pink satin dress that was a little nicer than the one she normally wore.

"Hey, Amelia," Sonny said blushing slightly. "You look, uh, nicer than usual."

"Aw, thanks," Amelia said as she twirled around for a moment. "There's a festival that's going on tonight, and I was wondering if you would like to come."

"Are the other girls going?" Sonny asked.

"Yeah, so you should bring your friends too." Amelia gave Sonny a small peck on the cheek and skipped down the hallway. "See you in the lobby!"

Sonny rubbed the part of his cheek where Amelia kissed him as he closed the door.

"What was that all about?" Chuck asked as he lay on the couch with his eyes closed.

"Oh, Amelia just invited us to come with the girls to a festival tonight," Sonny replied sheepishly.

"Why do you sound embarrassed?" Miles said looking up from a book he was reading. "Did she kiss you before leaving?"

"Lay off, Miles!" Sonny exclaimed.

Miles chuckled in response. "So I take it from your reaction that she did."

"So how is your relationship going?" Chuck said as he got up from the couch. "I know for a while you guys weren't sure if your love was genuine or not."

"Oh, we got over that months ago," Sonny replied. "She's pretty sure it's genuine because of how she reacted whenever I was in danger or possibly dead. I agree with her for the most part, but there's a part of me that's a little doubtful."

"But that could just be Sonic's indifference toward Amy that you're feeling," Miles suggested. "I mean, considering how long we've had these spirits inhabiting our bodies for, I wouldn't be surprised if some of their personality traits have started to wear out on us."

"Well, I know I'm definitely more short-tempered than I used to be," Chuck interjected. "Now are we going to that festival or not?"

"Of course, Chuck, wouldn't want to disappoint Amelia of all people," Sonny said with slight irritation as he dashed into the bathroom before Miles and Chuck could get to it first.

###

In the lobby, Sonny Miles and Chuck found Amelia chatting with Maria, Shahra, and Merlina who were wearing nice dresses as well.

"Where's Elise?" Sonny asked as he approached the girls.

"She left to take care of a few things, but said she'd be at the festival later," Merlina answered looking down at her cellphone. Her dress was magenta like the top she wore earlier, with puffed-up sleeves and a corset-like front. "That's what her text message said, anyway."

"I hope she doesn't take too long," Maria said, wearing a short-sleeved version of the dress she wore when Sonny first saw her in the club classroom. "The parade is about to start."

"Then we should get going so we don't miss it," Shahra exclaimed as she straightened out the light-purple sleeveless sundress she was wearing.

The others nodded and quickly made their way out of the hotel, across the plaza, and up to the main canal which was crowded with hundreds of people that Sonny didn't recall seeing earlier that day. As they tried to squeeze towards the front, loud cheers from the crowd erupted as the sky suddenly became lit with fireworks that exploded nearby. Then from the side of the canal that connected to the piers, a white ship slowly paddled upward with several people onboard. While some were dancing and others standing, there was one lone figure that stood on the bow of the ship. However due to the immense crowds, Sonny and the others could barely see who it was.

"Hey, Chuck!" Sonny shouted over the cheering crowds of people. "Since you're the tallest of us, can you see anything?"

"Uh, guys, you're not going to believe this," Chuck said with slight hesitation. "But Elise is standing on that ship!"

"What?!" Sonny jumped on top of Chuck's shoulders, which made Chuck flinch slightly, and looked at the white boat as it passed by.

To his shock, the figure standing at the bow of the ship was Elise. She was wearing a short white dress with gold embroidery, orange tights, and red heeled slippers. There were also two pairs of matching white feathers pinned to the sides of her head which glowed slightly as she turned to the cheering crowds on both sides and smiled while waving.

"What the heck is she doing on that ship?" Sonny asked out loud as he got off Chuck's shoulders.

"She's the princess of Soleanna," Miles answered, which made Sonny, Chuck, Amelia and the girls look at him with surprise. "I was going to tell you guys earlier, but Amelia cut me off and then I forgot about it till now."

"Oh, so it's _my_ fault that you didn't reveal a crucial bit of information that would've been nice to know before we got here," Amelia snapped.

"Well, I don't think Elise would've wanted me to tell you, anyway," Miles said defensively.

"But why would she keep this a secret from us?" Shahra wondered. "We're her best friends."

"My guess is that she didn't want to say anything out of fear that everyone at school would ostracize her, including us," Merlina said firmly.

"She wanted to be treated like a normal girl, not a princess from some foreign country," Maria added.

"So where's her dad?" Sonny asked. "I didn't see him on the boat with her."

"Hmm, that does seem odd," Merlina replied. "And it's only know that I realize in all the time I've known her, Elise hardly ever spoke about her father."

"You're right," Shahra said. "Every time I asked her, she would go silent and immediately talk about something else."

"Maybe she has an estranged relationship with her dad," Maria suggested.

"Actually," Miles said, causing everyone to focus on him. "Elise's dad is—

A series of explosions suddenly occurred along the buildings closest to the canal, causing the crowds to scatter and run in opposite directions. Unfortunately, they were soon cornered by a bunch of ten-foot tall robots with sleek white arms and legs that appeared from above and pointed their guns at the crowds along the canal. Meanwhile, a familiar circular floating device came down from the skies and drifted toward an altar at the center of the canal where Elise was standing.

"Eggman!" Sonny exclaimed. "What's he doing here?"

"Keep your voice down, Sonny!" Miles hissed. "We can't let his robots know we're here."

"So what are we supposed to do? Stand around? No way!"

Before Miles could stop him, Sonny dashed through the closing crowd, past the robots, and onto the altar where Elise was cornered by Eggman's robots. After he transformed into Sonic along the way, he demolished every single one of Eggman's robots in only a matter of seconds. Elise was too shocked to ask questions as Sonic picked her up and ran. Eggman then ordered his robots to attack while launching missiles from his own Egg Mobile. Fortunately, none of the missiles hit either Sonic or Elise as they found themselves running through the backstreets of New City.

"Are you…The Blue Blur?" Elise asked after a period of silence.

"That's what the military likes to call me," Sonic answered casually. "But you can call me Sonic the Hedgehog."

Just as Elise was about to speak, more of Eggman's new robots showed up and blocked Sonic's path. He quickly put her down and ran to deal with the robots. But by the time he finished, Sonic heard a scream and saw Elise being carried off by Eggman.

"If you thought you could run away from me, Sonic, you're wrong!" Eggman declared. "Now I shall take the girl with the Chaos Emerald and be on my way."

"If it's the Chaos Emerald you want, then you can have it!" Sonic shouted. "But let the princess go!"

"Oh, no, I'm not giving her up," Eggman retorted. "She's more valuable to my plans than you think."

"Ugh, Sonic," Elise said as she struggled against the two robotic arms that held her captive. Then from her dress-pocket, she pulled out the Blue Chaos Emerald. "If I give you the Emerald, will you promise to take it and save my friends?"

"Of course, Princess," Sonic answered. "And I promise I'll save you as soon as I can."

"Fine," Elise responded, tossing the Blue Chaos Emerald in Sonic's direction. "Then I'll be waiting!"

As soon as Sonic caught the Chaos Emerald, Eggman grumbled to himself and flew off in the Egg Mobile up to the Egg Carrier which was hovering above the city. Once he was inside, the Egg Carrier took off in the direction of the jungle and the valleys beyond that. While Sonic held the Chaos Emerald tightly, Silva saw him go from the second-floor of a viewing tower that overlooked the city near the main canal.

"That fat man in the strange vehicle kept calling that guy with the blue hair 'Sonic,' which means _he_ _'_ _s_ the Iblis Trigger that Mephiles was talking about," Silva said to himself. "Now all I've got to do is follow him and—

"Hey! What're you doing up here?"

Silva turned saw a girl with short pink hair and green eyes wearing a pink satin dress standing behind him.

"I was, uh," Silva said as he looked back and saw Sonic leave. After a brief sigh, Silva turned back to the girl and said, "Looking for someone."

"That's funny, because I was just looking for someone too," the girl said cheerfully and looked in the direction Silva was looking at. "Was that person just here?"

"Yeah, kind of," Silva replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I interrupted you," the girl said with guilt. Then she took Silva's hands and said, "Why don't we look together?"

"What?' Silva's eyes widened.

"Two heads are better than one, right?" the girl said confidently. "I'll help you find your person, and you could help me find mine."

"Um, sure," Silva said after a brief hesitation. "I guess I could use some help."

"Great!" the girl said with an excited smile. "What's your name? Mine is Amelia Rosen."

"Silva. Silva Hedgeworth."

Satisfied, the girl who was apparently named Amelia dragged Silva by the hand down the viewing tower and toward the dispersing crowds of people near the main canal.

To be continued…


	60. Chapter 60: Guilt

**60th Chapter, guys! I can't believe it, myself. This is officially the longest fanfiction I have worked on since I joined this website! Thank you so much for supporting it up till now and may the next chapters continue to entertain all you Sonic and non-Sonic fans alike!**

Chapter 60: Guilt

By the time Amelia reached the hotel with Silva behind her, the plaza was completely empty. Inside, the lobby was dimly lit with a single light coming from the restaurant area near the back. To Amelia's surprise, the chairs in the lobby were occupied by none other than Sonny, Miles, Chuck, and the other girls.

"Where've you been, Amelia?" Sonny said as he sat up. "We were worried about you."

"I'm sorry," Amelia said shyly. "I was out looking for you, Sonny. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Sonny answered and then he noticed Silva. "Who's your new friend?"

"Oh, this is Silva," Amelia answered as she stepped aside and gestured towards Sonny. "Silva, this is Sonny, the guy I was searching for when I met you."

For a second, Silva said nothing and then he held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Sonny."

"Same here," Sonny responded taking Silva's hand. "Is this your first time in Soleanna?"

"Yeah," Silva replied.

"Mine too. Where are you staying at?"

"Well, I've only just arrived so I haven't been able to make arrangements."

"Then why don't you stay with us for the night?"

Silva hesitated. "Uh, you don't have to do that for me. I can manage on my own."

"It's not a big deal, Silva," Amelia said, putting her arm around Silva's back. "We'll have you sleep with Sonny and the boys tonight, and then tomorrow we'll look for the person you're searching for. Okay?"

"If you insist," Silva said nervously.

"Then it's settled," Amelia said firmly as she pressed Silva closer to her. "I just feel bad for dragging you around with me when the person I was trying to find didn't need to be found after all, so this is the least I could do for a friend."

"Friend?"

"Sure, we're all friends here. Right, guys?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and then they all went upstairs to their rooms when the janitors started appearing.

###

Later that night, Silva woke up after having a nightmare where Iblis was attacking two creatures that resembled a white hedgehog and a skinny purple cat. He looked around the hotel suite and saw the outline of Chuck sleeping on the floor. Near the balcony window with moonlight streaming in, Silva could see Miles lying peacefully on his bed while Sonny was tossing and turning restlessly as he slept. Getting up from the couch, Silva walked quietly over to Sonny's bed and looked down at him.

 _He may have a different name around his friends,_ _but I know Sonny's_ _actually Sonic the Hedgehog_ , Silva thought. _If I kill him now, the future that Mephiles showed me will never happen._

Silva then walked back to the couch, grabbed the pillow Sonny gave him, and then he went back to the bed. As he approached Sonny's face with the pillow in his hands, his arms suddenly emanated a bright-blue aura and froze in place. Confused, Silva tried to move them but found himself unable to press the pillow he held against Sonny's face in order to choke him.

 _No, this is wrong_ , Silva thought as he lowered the pillow. _Killing him while he_ _'_ _s unaware would be dishonest. I_ _'_ _ll try something else tomorrow._

Resolved, Silva walked back to the couch and went back to sleep.

###

"Hey, Shadow, how did you know Mephiles would send us to the future?" Rouge the Bat asked after she had finished searching the skies for any sign of life.

"Because that's what he did when we encountered him the first time," Shadow answered, looking down at the city ruins from atop the skyscraper he and Rouge had been dropped on.

"Oh, right," replied Rouge. "Did you try using Chaos Control while I was gone?"

"I did, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to take me back to the present," Shadow said irritably. "We'll need at least one more Chaos Emerald to do that."

"Then how was Mephiles able to send us here with just one Chaos Emerald?"

"It was his own power that sent us here, Rouge. The Chaos Emerald just gave him an extra boost."

"I see." Rouge then picked up a brown paper bag and a half-eaten hamburger. "While I couldn't find a living soul around here, at least I found food."

"That hamburger looks like it had been dropped recently," Shadow noted, noticing bits of dirt and dust on the burger's edge. "Maybe weren't not the only ones here."

"But if that's the case, why would they leave their food behind?" Rouge asked as she changed back into Rouge Baxter and started eating the hamburger.

"I'm not sure," Shadow responded as he changed back into Shawn. "But we should start looking for another Chaos Emerald as soon as we're done eating."

Rouge nodded as she continued to chow down on the burger, while Shawn reached into the bag and pulled out a pack of fries which he started munching on.

###

The following morning, Silva woke up and noticed Chuck standing casually at the balcony with the windows open and bright sunlight illuminating the room to reveal that the rest of the room was empty.

"About time you got up," Chuck said as he heard Silva getting up from the couch. "It's almost noon."

"Where are Sonny and Miles?" Silva asked, briefly rubbing his eyes.

"No idea," Chuck replied. "By the time I woke up, they were gone without bothering to leave a note or a text explaining where they went."

"Have you told Amelia yet?"

"Let's just say she did not take the news well," Chuck said as he turned to Silva revealing a swollen cheek.

"What about the other girls?"

Chuck shrugged. "They were indifferent, but they're mostly worried about Elise who apparently got kidnapped last night by Dr. Robotnik."

"Who's Elise?"

"She's a friend of ours and apparently the princess of Soleanna, which we didn't know about until Miles told us."

"No way," Silva said as he recalled Sonic carrying a girl in his arms the night before. "Why would Dr. Robotnik do such a thing?"

"Beats me."

###

"Any luck, Tails?" Sonic asked standing on a beach that stretched for miles on either side of him with rocky structures near the shore and out near the coral reef which was partially visible.

"Not a beep," Tails said, looking down at his Emerald Detector. "Either Eggman doesn't have any Chaos Emeralds on him, or we're too far away to pick up a signal."

"Well, keep trying," Sonic responded. "I just got back defeating some of Eggman's new robots, so he must've been here at some point."

It was then that Sonny's cellphone started ringing, which Sonic picked up.

" _Hello? Sonny?_ " Chuck's voice said on the other end.

"This is Sonic," Sonic replied. "How's a going, Chuck?"

" _Do you realize how much trouble you've caused by leaving without saying where you were going? Amelia was so pissed that she slapped me in the face for it!_ "

"But if I told her, Amy would've taken over her and followed us."

" _Was there a particular reason why you didn't want her to follow you and Tails?_ "

"Remember when I appeared last night and took off with Elise?"

" _Yeah, it was pretty hard to miss_."

"Well, I let my guard down and Elise got captured by Eggman. So I promised Elise I would rescue her just as she threw a Chaos Emerald that was in her possession at me before Eggman took her into the Egg Carrier and that's why I left early this morning with Tails."

" _Oh, so that explains why Eggman visited me._ "

"He what?"

" _I went out looking for you because I felt bad for Amelia when Eggman suddenly showed up and gave me this card which he told me to give you before leaving._ "

"Where are you now?"

" _I'm down by the docks in New City_."

"Stay there, Chuck. Tails and I will be there."

Then Sonic hung up, told Tails what Chuck told him, and together they made their way back to New City.

To be continued…


	61. Chapter 61: Exchange

Chapter 61: Exchange

Once Sonny and Miles made it to the docks, they saw Chuck standing nearby. As they approached him, he tossed something at Sonny who immediately caught it. Sonny examined the item and noticed that it was indeed a card. Then he pressed a small button and a holographic image of Eggman emerged from the card.

" _Greetings, Sonic the Hedgehog,_ " Eggman's hologram said. " _If you want to have the princess back, you_ _'_ _ll have to give me the Chaos Emerald that was on her person. The exchange will take place at my base in White Acropolis, and if I don_ _'_ _t see you there then I_ _'_ _ll destroy New City_ _!_

The hologram vanished, and the card exploded in Sonny's hands.

"He's got to be kidding," Chuck said. "He'd destroy New City just to get his hands on one Chaos Emerald?"

"That's Eggman for you," Miles said.

"Then we should get to White Acropolis immediately," Sonny responded.

"But Sonny, it could be a trap," Miles replied. "Besides, how are we supposed to get to White Acropolis? That's several hundred miles north of here and the _Tornado 2_ is back in Central City."

"Yeah, and even if Miles could get to it the plane's still under repair from all the damage it took during the Black Arms' invasion," Sonny said to himself. Then he looked at Chuck and said, "Do you remember which way Eggman went when he gave you the card?"

"Uh, I think he went in that direction," Chuck said pointing to a side-street that ran along the docks.

"Odd," Miles noted. "That side-street leads right to a cave on the Northeast side of town by the sea-cliffs."

In response, Sonny and Chuck gave Miles dubious looks.

"I looked at the map of New City that was in the hotel lobby," Miles answered.

"Then let's check it out," Sonny said as he ran toward the side-street. "We might find something interesting over there."

###

"Ugh, boys are so frustrating! No offense, Silva," Amelia grumbled over lunch in the hotel restaurant.

"None taken," Silva responded.

"So it just occurred to me that if Elise's father is actually dead, then that means Elise must've paid for our trip," Merlina said.

"Who told you that?" Amelia asked.

Merlina tilted her head slightly. "Miles told us last night after we got back to the hotel. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah," replied Amelia, taking a bite out of the salad she was eating.

"But now that Elise has been kidnapped, who's going to pay for the trip?" Shahra asked out loud.

"That's a good question," Merlina remarked.

"Poor Elise," Maria said as she looked out the window. "I hope she's all right."

"I'm sure The Blue Blur will save her," Merlina said. "After all, he did show up last night."

"Yeah, and with Sonny gone I'm almost starting to believe Elise's theory might be true," Shahra added.

"What theory?" Amelia said looking up from her salad.

"Oh, ah, it's not important," Shahra said as she blushed slightly.

Amelia gave Shahra a penetrating stare. "Does it explain why Elise invited Sonny to come to Soleanna in the first place?"

"Um, maybe," Shahra answered nervously.

Merlina took a sip from her teacup and then said, "Elise theorized that Sonny and The Blue Blur were the same person based on photographic evidence and numerous coincidences where Sonny would be absent when The Blue Blur showed up. She figured bringing Sonny here might also cause The Blue Blur to show up as well, and sure enough he did along with Dr. Robotnik, The Blue Blur's arch-nemesis. Now, Amelia, what have you got to say in Sonny's defense?"

In response, Amelia's cheeks turned beet-red.

"You guys are jerks!" Silva snapped, and took Amelia by the hand as he stood up. "Come on, Amelia, let's go look for Sonny."

As Silva dragged her out of the restaurant, Amelia said nothing in response. Then just as they approached the lobby, they found a Soleanna guard standing near the door. Undeterred, Silva waved his hand before him which caused the doors to close inward which knocked the guard to the floor. Before the guard could get up, Silva and Amelia ran over him and out into the plaza.

"How did you do that?" Amelia said looking back.

"Psychokinesis," Silva answered casually. "I've been able to move things with my mind since I was thirteen years old."

"I see."

###

At the end of the side-street, Sonny Miles and Chuck were surprised to find a bunch of Eggman's robots guarding the cave which was protected by a net of lasers.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sonny said turning to his two friends.

In response, Miles and Chuck nodded as they transformed into Tails and Knuckles respectfully while Sonny changed into Sonic. The three made quick work of the robots, and in a matter of seconds the outside of the cave was littered with robot parts and gun parts. Tails then pressed a button nearby which deactivated the lasers thus allowing him Knuckles and Sonic to enter the cave safely. At the end of it was a device with a circular gateway that showed images of snow and steep cliffs on the other side.

"Amazing," Tails remarked. "This is a trans-spatial gateway that will take us directly to White Acropolis. Eggman must've built this in order to bring his army of robots directly from his base to New City faster."

"So what you're saying is that this thing will transport us to White Acropolis?" When Tails nodded, Sonic said, "Cool!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go already!" Knuckles said impatiently.

The three of them stepped through the gate, and soon found themselves in a snowy trackway that was littered with Eggman's robots who immediately shot at them. Fortunately, Sonic was able to knock them over by spinning down the slope in a ball that soon became covered with snow. Tails meanwhile took care of aerial drones by crushing them with his feet as Knuckles punched his way through robots below. At the end of the trackway, they came to a wide snow-covered field with demolished searchlights and a giant gate leading to the side of a cliff. Figuring that was the entrance, the three made their way across the field taking down any robots that came their way.

By the time they reached the gate, it was already opening. The three cautiously stepped through, and found themselves in a long tunneling hallway with lights on either side. There were no robots, so they quickly ran down the hallway and eventually came to a circular chamber.

"You're late, Sonic," Dr. Eggman said from a room above the chamber. "But as long as you have the Chaos Emerald, I'll accept your tardiness."

"Where's the princess?" Sonic demanded.

"Right here," Eggman said, dragging Elise over from an unseen corner.

"Don't give him the Emerald, Sonic!" Elise cried. "It's a—

Before Elise could finish, Eggman covered her mouth with his free hand. "Now, show me the Chaos Emerald."

Sonic hesitated, and then he pulled the Blue Chaos Emerald out from his pants-pocket.

A small pedestal suddenly rose from beneath the floor right in front of Sonic.

"Place the Emerald on that pedestal and then I'll give you the princess," Eggman said.

"Sonic," Tails said.

"I know what I'm doing, Tails," Sonic responded and put the Emerald on the pedestal.

The pedestal sank underneath the floor once more. Then Eggman grinned and pressed a button below him. Immediately, the room became filled with bright-purple light that seemed to magnetize Sonic and the others to where they were standing.

"Did you really think I was going to hold my end of the bargain?" Eggman said tauntingly. "Now I'm going to use you as guinea-pigs for my latest creation, the Solaris prototype. Not only will I have unlimited energy with this device once I collect all the Chaos Emeralds, but I will also be able to control time itself!"

Eggman then pulled down a switch, which sent Sonic Tails and Knuckles flying into the air as they vaporized into beams of light that flickered for a moment before fading completely.

###

"How's the hacking coming along?" Shadow asked Rouge the Bat as they stood in a room with a large computer interface and keyboard.

"I've managed to get in, but most of the files are heavily encrypted," Rouge answered as she typed furiously away. "It'll take a computer-genius to open them."

"So what have you found out?"

"Well, we're approximately 200 years in the future and the building we're standing in is Eggman's base at White Acropolis."

"That's not very helpful, and it doesn't explain the skyscrapers that are around here."

A sudden crashing noise made Shadow and Rouge flinch. They walked over to a ledge nearby and found Sonic Tails and Knuckles lying at the bottom of a round chamber below. Once the three finished groaning, they looked up towards the ledge.

"Rouge? Shadow?" Sonic said looking at each of them.

"Hey," Rouge said waving. "Long time no see, boys."

"Where are we?" Tails asked, rubbing his head.

"You're in Eggman's White Acropolis base 200 years from the present day, assuming that's where you came from," Shadow answered.

"The future?" Knuckles said shaking his head. "So how did you guys get here?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Rouge answered. "But maybe I'll tell you if your two-tailed friend can hack into some heavily encrypted files on this computer we found up here."

"I'm on it!" Tails said as he flew up to the ledge and over to the computer Rouge was talking about. "This should be a synch for me."

While Sonic and Knuckles followed, Tails typed rapidly on the computer as Shadow and Rouge watched.

"Got it!" Tails exclaimed, pulling up several files on the computer-screen. Then his smile suddenly turned into a serious frown. "Oh, man, this is terrible!"

"What is it, Tails?" Sonic asked as he and Knuckles joined Rouge and Shadow.

"According to these files, a terrible monster known as Iblis was released into the world two days after the Festival of the Sun was commenced in Soleanna. That was also the day Elise was captured by Dr. Eggman and killed when his Egg Carrier mysteriously crashed."

"Then we've got to get back to the present as soon as possible!" Sonic said urgently. "Shadow, you can use Chaos Control to travel through time, right?"

"Yes, but I can't do it with just one Chaos Emerald," Shadow said showing Sonic the Green Chaos Emerald. "We'll need at least one more, and we were trying to look for it when you three showed up."

"So it looks like we're going to have to work together in order to pull this off," Sonic said.

Shadow nodded.

"Tails, check your Emerald Detector," Sonic said.

"Right," Tails responded, and looked at the radio-sized device. "It's very faint, but I'm getting a signal to the east of here."

"So let's go!" Rouge said impatiently. "I don't want to be stuck in this smoldering hellhole forever."

To be continued…


	62. Chapter 62: Blame

Chapter 62: Blame

After several hours of searching, Sonic and the others manage to locate the Chaos Emerald that Tails' Detector sensed. It was the cyan-colored one, and floated in mid-air next to a pool of lava in the depths of a rocky valley with dead trees and steep cliffs. Immediately, Rouge flew up to the Emerald and touched it with her gloved hands.

"Don't touch it, Rouge!" Shadow said urgently.

Behind Rouge, a loud roar emanated from the pool of lava before a large serpentine creature emerged from it.

"Iblis!" Sonic exclaimed as Rouge flew back. "I know Tails mentioned him earlier, but I didn't remember him until now."

"The same thing happened when you encountered Chaos," Tails said as he flew up to grab the Cyan Chaos Emerald. "The memories you had of him didn't click until you actually saw him in person."

Knuckles groaned. "Can we please save the discussion for later? We've got a big frickin' lava monster to deal with at the moment!"

"Then let's split into two teams," Shadow suggested. "We'll take turns attacking Iblis, and then when he's weak enough all five of us will attack together."

"Good idea, Shadow," Sonic responded, then he turned to Knuckles and Tails. "Let's roll!"

Knuckles and Tails nodded as they followed Sonic towards the lava pool. While Sonic attacked Iblis from the front with his Homing Attack, Tails focused on puncturing Iblis' eyes and Knuckles glided around the creature's body with flying punches. Then once Iblis sank back into the lava, Sonic and his friends retreated while Shadow and Rouge took their place. As soon as Iblis' head reemerged, Shadow sent a barrage of Chaos Spears at it while Rouge assisted by raining a handful of bombs down from high in the air. The creature howled in pain and sank back into the lava a third time. After a few seconds, Iblis appeared once more. But Sonic and the others were prepared as they attacked him all at once with numerous kicks, punches, energy blasts, and bombs.

"All right!" Sonic cheered as Iblis melted into the lava.

A few minutes passed, and the creature didn't reemerge.

"Now that that's over with, let's get back to our own time," Shadow said, and held out the Green Chaos Emerald.

"You said it," Sonic responded and took the Cyan Chaos Emerald from Tails.

The two boys then walked towards one another and then after holding their Chaos Emeralds up they shouted in unison, "Chaos Control!"

As the Chaos Emeralds glimmered, a white swirling vortex appeared above their heads. Immediately, Sonic jumped into it followed by Tails and Knuckles. Rouge and Shadow were about to leap into the vortex as well when a cloud of black smoke suddenly appeared a few feet from them. The smoke eventually became a solid form which turned out to be none other than Mephiles.

"Come on, Shadow," Rouge said urgently.

In response, Shadow tossed the Green Chaos Emerald to Rouge and said, "Take it and go."

As Rouge caught the Emerald, the vortex started to close behind her. "But Shadow—

"Go!" Shadow urged as he dashed toward Mephiles.

Rouge huffed in response and flew through the shrinking vortex. After she went in, the vortex vanished completely. Mephiles then disappeared before Shadow's eyes and reappeared again several feet away from the lava pool near the cliff where Shadow beheld a strange sight. Next to Mephiles stood a large diamond-shaped structure that stood upright and inside it was Shadow himself. Then at the foot of the diamond structure lay E-123 Omega, whose red electronic eyes were dim at the moment.

"What the hell is this?" Shadow asked.

" **This is the future of the human who serves as your host, Shadow,** " Mephiles answered. " **Once Iblis was released into the world, the world governments immediately placed the blame on you. After all, you did aid the Black Arms in their invasion of Mobius not too long ago. So naturally, you were the prime suspect and they sealed your human host in this containment device with that robot friend of yours standing guard in case you managed to break free.** "

Shadow chuckled slightly. "If you think this is going to persuade me to join you, you're mistaken."

" **I know you won** **'** **t, but what about your host? What does he think?** "

In response, Shadow briefly closed his eyes and saw Shawn standing in the observation-room of the ARK that served as a representation of their combined minds.

"He's not telling the truth, is he?" Shawn asked, not looking at Shadow as he stared out the window.

Shadow shook his head. "Mephiles is a liar and master manipulator, so don't believe a word he says."

"Then how do you explain the containment device and Omega being here in the future?"

"I'm not sure, but we won't know unless we defeat him."

"Can we?"

"I can weaken him, but without Sonic and Silver he can't be truly defeated."

"So we're just stalling him until we can find a way back to the present?"

"Pretty much. However, I sense two Chaos Emeralds nearby. One is coming from Mephiles while the other is in Omega's direction."

"I see, then let's give Mephiles a beating he won't forget."

Shadow nodded and opened his eyes once more, giving Mephiles an angry glare. "My host says, 'Screw you!'"

Mephiles narrowed his eyes and then a purple aura briefly surrounded him. Once it subsided, Mephiles' skin had crystallized while his hair changed from black with gray highlights to dark-blue with crystal-blue highlights. Then he removed the scarf that covered the bottom-half of his jaw, revealing that he had no mouth underneath.

" **Such a pity,** " Mephiles said. " **Then you shall both die here as fools!** "

As Shadow rushed at Mephiles once more, Mephiles in turn raised his arms and summoned an army of creatures that were made out of the same crystalline substance. Though they blocked Shadow from attacking Mephiles directly, he managed to destroy them with ease. However, as Mephiles summoned more of them the more drained Shadow became. Out of desperation, Shadow used his Chaos Emerald to warp over to Omega and managed to press the on-switch before Mephiles sent a purple energy blast that sent Shadow flying into the cliff behind the containment device. With the wind knocked out of him, Shadow fell to the ground in a heap as he unexpectedly changed back into Shawn.

" **Foolish boy,** " Mephiles taunted. " **Did you really think Shadow had a chance of taking me on?** "

Shawn tried to scramble to his feet, but his knees felt weak. Then he noticed Omega getting up behind Mephiles and pointing his cannon-arm in Mephiles' direction. So in response, Shawn pretended to lie down and shouted, "Go to hell!"

At that moment, Omega fired a powerful blast of energy that sent Mephiles flying over Shawn's head. While Mephiles crashed into the cliff-face, Shawn got up and ran over to Omega. While Omega was preparing to fire again, Shawn placed his hand on Omega's arm and pressed it down.

" _Why are you preventing me from killing him, Shawn?_ " Omega asked bluntly. " _I saw him hurting you, and no one harms my friend and gets away with it._ "

"We'll deal with him later," Shawn said, and glanced at Omega's chest-plate. "Do you have a Chaos Emerald on hand?"

" _I do_ ," Omega said, and pressed his chest-plate which popped out with the Red Chaos Emerald inside. " _The Commander gave this to me to keep for protective purposes and_ _'_ _special_ _'_ _situations_."

"Well, this is definitely one of those 'special' situations," Shawn said as he changed back into Shadow. Then he held the Red and Cyan Chaos Emeralds together while shouting, "Chaos Control!"

Before Mephiles could reach them, Shadow and Omega were sucked into the same white swirling vortex that appeared before and vanished instantly.

###

In the present, Sonic Knuckles and Tails appeared in an empty street within New City after emerging out of the swirling white vortex.

Sonic looked around briefly and said, "Hey, where are Shadow and Rouge?"

"Maybe they appeared in a different location from us," Tails suggested.

"Shouldn't we go look for them to make sure they're ok?" Knuckles asked.

"I think they can take care of themselves," Sonic said. "But we've got more important things to worry about, like preventing Elise from getting killed in that Egg Carrier crash."

"Well, according to my watch only three hours have passed since we left. So all we have to do is find Dr. Eggman and—

A blue wave of energy suddenly caused Tails and Knuckles to fly through the air and hit the pillars of a building behind them. Surprised, Sonic ran to them but then he was pulled back by a mysterious force that caused his whole body to glow bright-blue. He strained his neck to look behind him and saw Silva standing nearby with his hands outstretched and a matching bright-blue aura surrounding him.

To be continued…


	63. Chapter 63: Reincarnation

Chapter 63: Reincarnation

"Silva," Sonic said as he hovered in the air in front of Silva's face. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been waiting for you to return, Iblis Trigger," Silva said sternly and curled his fingers slightly.

This in turn caused Sonic to cry out in pain as his body felt forcefully squeezed. "Iblis Trigger? Then you must be…the reincarnation of Silver."

"Silver? I don't know what you're talking about," Silva responded. "A guy named Mephiles told me that you cause a monster called Iblis to be released which ends up destroying the world. Therefore, in order to prevent that future from happening, you must die!"

"He's lying!" Sonic cried as his body continued to be squeezed. "Mephiles is just using you to get rid of me, and Silver knows this."

"I don't know anyone by the name of Silver!"

Silva then waved his arms forward which caused Sonic to go flying into a nearby building which he crashed into and collapsed as the wind was knocked out of him. But before Silva could finish Sonic off, Amelia suddenly appeared and blocked Silva's path. Her icy glare forced Silva's aura to subside.

"Amelia," Silva said quietly. "Get out of my way."

"No!" Amelia snapped. "If you want to hurt Sonny, then you'll have to get through me."

"But you don't understand," Silva responded. "Your boyfriend will destroy the world if I don't kill him right now!"

"I don't believe you. How can the same guy who was nice enough to let you stay with us when you had nowhere to go destroy the world?"

Silva paused, and then he said, "It doesn't matter what he did for me. What matters more is what he'll do, and I'm the only one who can stop him."

"Then you leave me with no choice," Amelia said as she summoned the Piko Hammer and knocked Silva out with it before he could stop her.

###

"This is terrible!" a Soleanna guard cried out. "The princess has been kidnapped by Dr. Robotnik yet again!"

"Again?" Sonny raised an eyebrow.

"I can explain," Amelia said sheepishly. "After you left, I went out looking for you with Silva. We eventually stumbled upon a cave with robot parts littered about and assuming you'd gone through there I told Silva to keep the girls occupied while I went into this gate-thing and found myself in a white tundra."

"That sounds like White Acropolis, one of Eggman's northernmost bases."

"Yeah, I figured it was an Eggman base as soon as I saw the Egg Carrier emerging from a hidden hangar. So I snuck onboard before it took off hoping I would find you, but instead I ran into Elise. Naturally, she was surprised to see me since I had transformed into Amy by that point but I quickly helped her escape from the Egg Carrier and then we just made it back to New City when I saw Silva trying to kill you. Then after I knocked Silva out, I saw Elise being taken away by Dr. Eggman."

"Did you follow them?"

"A little ways, yes, but then I went back to check on you and the others. Now tell me, where the heck have you been all morning?"

"Well, in short, I went to Wave Ocean beach with Miles to look for clues on Eggman's whereabouts and then—

"I called him after Eggman gave me a message to give to Sonny," Chuck said wearily as he stood behind Sonny.

"It turned out to be a ransom saying that if we didn't give Eggman the Chaos Emerald Elise gave Sonic when she was kidnapped, he would destroy New City," Miles added.

"So we went to Eggman's base at White Acropolis through that cave-gate you found, Amelia, and then right after we gave Eggman the Emerald he turned on this machine and sent us to the far-future. Fortunately, we were able to get back to the present with help from Shadow and Rouge, who were transported there yesterday by Mephiles the Dark, using two Chaos Emeralds."

"Mephiles the Dark?" Amelia wondered. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"It's probably because Amy remembers him," Miles suggested. "He's apparently a super-powerful being who nearly destroyed everything back in Sonic's time but was thwarted by Sonic, Shadow, and Silver."

"Who's Silver?"

"Sonic told me he was from the future of his timeline and got tricked by Mephiles into trying to kill him," Sonny answered.

Amelia's eyes suddenly widened. "That's exactly what Silva tried to do to you, Sonny. Maybe he's a reincarnation of Silver."

"That's what Sonic thinks, but right now we've got to find Elise. Do you remember which direction Eggman went?"

"I think he went that way," Amelia said pointing north of the plaza she, Sonny, Miles, and Chuck were standing in.

"Ok, thanks!" Sonny said as he took off in that direction.

Amelia watched him go before she growled and dragged Miles and Chuck into the hotel they were staying in. "Why does he seem to care more about Elise's safety than my feelings? He'd better not be falling in love with her."

###

When Silva came to, Blake was looking down at him.

"Hey," Silva said as the top of his head started to ache. "Where've you been?"

"Looking for you," Blake answered as she helped Silva to his feet. "Judging by that bump on your head, you must've gotten into trouble while I was away."

"I had the Iblis Trigger in my sights and was about to kill him when this girl, Amelia, stopped me."

Blake tilted her head sideways. "You know her?"

Silva folded his arms. "I met her last night and then she took me to a hotel where her friends were staying at and to my surprise her boyfriend was the Iblis Trigger himself. When he found out I had no place to stay, he offered that I sleep in his room which I accepted after Amelia insisted. I tried to kill the Iblis Trigger while he was sleeping, but I was unable to for some reason. Then the next day, the Iblis Trigger had gone and so I waited for him to come back until now."

"Sounds like you had a fun time. I was busy running along Soleanna's beaches. So how did this girl stop you from killing the Iblis Trigger?"

"She blocked me from getting to him, and then after I couldn't persuade her to get out of my way she knocked me out with a hammer that appeared out of nowhere."

"That's weird."

"Yeah, but what was really strange was that the Iblis Trigger claimed that Mephiles was lying to me and that I was the reincarnation of some guy called 'Silver.'"

"Now that's funny because I ran into a fat bald guy on the beach this morning with a girl in his custody who kept calling me 'Blaze' as he sent robots to attack me."

"Did you use your pyro-kinetic power?" Silva asked.

Blake smiled. "Yep, I burned all the bald guy's robots and then he took off with the girl in tow."

"Did you happen to get the guy's name?"

"I think he called himself Dr. Eggman if I'm not mistaken."

"That sounds like Dr. Robotnik, and the girl was probably Princess Elise of Soleanna."

"Well, the bald guy certainly resembled the pictures of Dr. Robotnik that are in the newspapers these days, but what makes you think the girl who was with him was a princess?"

"I saw her getting kidnapped by Dr. Robotnik last night and then I found out her name through one of the Iblis Trigger's colleagues since she apparently invited them to Soleanna without telling them that she was the princess until someone found out. That was also when the Iblis Trigger first showed up as he was trying to save Elise from Dr. Robotnik."

"It's hard to believe that the guy who's supposedly going to end the world tried to save a princess from a mad scientist and gave you a place to sleep for the night."

"That's what Amelia said as well, and now I'm actually starting to wonder if we're doing the right thing."

Blake turned to Silva with surprise. "What do you mean?"

Silva rubbed his head again and said, "Do you really think killing one person will suddenly prevent the world from being destroyed?"

In response, Blake shrugged. "It's hard to say, but at least we've been given the chance to make a difference in the world instead of waiting to be saved by heroes who may not come in time."

Silva looked away and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I also found this," Blake said as she tossed a silver-colored Emerald in Silva's direction.

After Silva caught it, he examined the Emerald and said, "What is it?"

"I'm not sure, though it kind of looks like the Emerald that was supposedly stolen by The Blue Blur a few months back."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that," Silva replied. "Maybe we should try looking for Dr. Robotnik."

"Why? He's not our primary target."

"If he's still got the princess, then the Iblis Trigger is bound to show up and try rescuing her again."

"Good point."

###

Behind a pier near the Soleanna docks, Shadow and Omega appeared out of the white vortex they used to escape from Mephiles when they saw Rouge Baxter standing nearby with the Green Chaos Emerald in hand.

"Thanks for making me worry, Shadow," Rouge said as she walked up to them. "You could've been killed."

"But we weren't," Shadow said as he changed back into Shawn. "Where are Sonic and his friends?"

"I didn't see them when I got here," Rouge replied. "Maybe they ended up somewhere else."

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure they're fine." Shawn then placed the Cyan Chaos Emerald inside Omega's chest-plate while putting the Red one in his jacket-pocket.

"So what's our plan?" Rouge asked as she placed the Green Chaos Emerald in her cleavage.

"You and Omega keep an eye out for Mephiles in case he returns from the future, since he still has a Chaos Emerald on him," Shawn answered as he started to walk away. "I'll be going after Eggman to learn what I can about Project Solaris from him."

"All by yourself?" Rouge walked up to Shawn and held his arm. "You just got back from a close-shave with Mephiles and now you want to take on Dr. Eggman? That's crazy."

"If I don't find out how to defeat Mephiles, he might succeed in destroying our time-space continuum and Sonic won't be there to save us when that happens," Shawn said as he got out of Rouge's grip.

"What do you mean? Hey, wait!" Rouge shouted as Shawn disappeared in a flash of light.

" _I think Shawn knows something that we don't_ ," Omega said.

"You think?" Rouge said glaring at Omega. "I'm willing to bet Shadow told him about other things besides Silver and Mephiles."

" _Well, Shadow does seem to be the only 'spirit' who remembers everything that happened to him in his previous life, so naturally Shawn would have more knowledge about these events that are repeating themselves in the present than we do._ "

"But you're a reincarnated spirit too, right?"

" _My body is inhabited by the data was left from the original E-123 Omega before he was destroyed, which include memories and personality traits but they do not come to me all at once. I am learning more about my past each day, but it will take some time before I remember everything._ "

"I see," Rouge said as she pressed a button on her golden bracelet which let off a small ringing sound. "Then we might as well get in touch with G. U. N. and update them on the situation."

To be continued…


	64. Chapter 64: Interruption

Chapter 64: Interruption

"That pipe looks pretty suspicious," Sonny said to himself as he examined a square-shaped pipe that stuck up from the concrete sidewalk next to the cliffs that marked the northernmost edge of New City.

"I say we should investigate it," the apparition of Sonic suggested.

In response, Sonny nodded. "Agreed."

After looking around to make sure no one was present, Sonny transformed into Sonic and jumped into the air. He rolled up into a spinning ball and broke through the metal grating that covered the top of the pipe, and found himself in a hidden room where a gate similar to the one that took him and his friends to White Acropolis stood. This time, however, it showed a railway track with electric power-lines and a train that was starting to move. Quickly, Sonic jumped through the gate and noticed the rear car of the train had a familiar logo on it.

"Eggman!" Sonic exclaimed. "He must have Elise onboard that train."

So Sonic took off after the train, but it only speed up faster. Then when he got close to it, the rear cars of the train launched missiles at him. Though Sonic managed to dodge them all, this only allowed the train to get further away from him. Then as the train approached a black tunnel, it began to mysteriously slow down which allowed Sonic to board the train, find Elise tied up inside the passenger car, and get her out of it before the train crashed into an iron-gate that appeared in front of the tunnel.

"I knew you'd come back for me," Elise said smiling.

"Well I said I would save you, right?" Sonic replied as he carried Elise in his arms.

Then suddenly a wave of blue energy flew past Sonic's head followed by Silva, who blocked his path.

"Silva," Sonic said as he put Elise down.

"You're not getting away from me this time, Iblis Trigger!" Silva said as he waved his hand towards Sonic.

In turn, Sonic got in front of Elise and was soon paralyzed in the same manner as before. Silva then raised both of his hands and Sonic felt bolts of energy passing through his body. As Sonic cried out in pain, Elise backed away.

"Please, stop!" Elise cried as she looked at Silva. "You're hurting him!"

"Did you enjoy your little walk, Princess?" Eggman said as he appeared from the wreckage of the train in his Egg Mobile.

"No," Elise said as she tried to run away.

"You're not getting from me that easily!" Eggman said as the Egg Mobile's robotic arms caught Elise by the arms and clamped over the rest of her body.

"Sonic!" Elise shouted as she was taken away.

"Elise!" Sonic said between shocks. "Let me go, Silva!"

"Not till you draw your last breath," Silva responded.

There was a flash of light, and Shawn appeared behind Silva. He then kicked Silva in the back of the head and placed Silva's hands behind his back. The aura that surrounded Sonic subsided as he sank to his knees.

"Shawn," Sonic said with mild surprise.

"Get going, Sonic!" Shawn snapped as he held down Silva who was struggling underneath him. "I'll keep him busy."

"Thanks, man!" Sonic said as he gave Shawn a thumbs-up before taking off in the direction of the Egg Mobile as it disappeared behind a bend in the canyon.

"Mephiles," Silva said looking up at Shawn. "Why did you stop me?"

Shawn's eyes widened, and then he started to twist one of Silva's arms. "What do you know about Mephiles?"

"Nothing!" Silva exclaimed as he tried to hold back the pain. "My sister and I ran into him in Westopolis."

"Westopolis?" Shawn raised an eyebrow. "Are you a survivor?"

"Yeah."

"Weren't you and your sister evacuated?"

"We chose not to, because we wanted to find our parents."

"Then how did you get here?"

"I was somehow teleported by Mephiles, along with my sister."

"Why?"

"Because he said the one who will destroy the world, the Iblis Trigger, would be here."

"And Sonic is the Iblis Trigger?"

"That's what Mephiles said."

"Well, he's lying," Shawn said as he stopped twisting Silva's arm. "He's just using you to get rid of Sonic so that he may destroy the time-space continuum without any interference."

"How do you know this?" Silva asked as he stopped struggling.

"I have a friend who knows a lot of things," Shawn answered as he got off of Silva. "If you don't believe me, then let's go back to Soleanna ten years ago and find out what Mephiles really is and the identity of the real Iblis Trigger."

"How?" Silva said as he got up. "Unless you have a time-machine, I'm not convinced we can go back ten years ago to learn the truth."

"All we need are two of these," Shawn said as he showed Silva the Red Chaos Emerald which he took out of his jacket-pocket. "I assume Mephiles used a similar gem to transport you and your sister here."

"He did," Silva answered as he reached inside his jacket-pocket and pulled out the Silver Chaos Emerald. "I know it's not the same color, but will this do?"

"Where did you find it?" Shawn asked.

"My sister gave it to me before I went after Sonic."

"I see." Shawn then cleared his throat and said, "Now, in order to use these gems to go back through time, we need to raise them into the air at same time and I need you to repeat what I'm about to say."

"Okay," Silva said as he nodded. "Go!"

Shawn then raised the Red Chaos Emerald into the air while Silva did the same. Then the two boys said in unison, "Chaos Control!"

###

"There's nowhere to go, Princess," Eggman said to Elise as she had managed to free herself and was now standing on the edge of one of the Egg Mobile's robotic arms.

"I'd rather die than be your prisoner again!" Elise shouted, looking down at the ground below her.

"So what do you plan to do? Jump?"

Elise glared at Eggman and then she closed her eyes and let herself fall.

"No!" Eggman cried, watching as Elise plummeted towards the ground.

But before she hit the ground, Elise was caught by Sonic who was running underneath the Egg Mobile.

"Sonic," Elise said in slight shock.

"Good thing I was here to catch you, Princess," Sonic said as they approached the jungle that separated the canyon from New City.

"Yes," Elise said as she hugged Sonic around the neck. "But don't call me 'Princess' anymore, Sonic. Elise will do fine."

"All right, Elise," Sonic said ignoring the uncomfortable tingling sensation he was feeling. "Let's get you home."

To be continued…


	65. Chapter 65: Past

Chapter 65: Past

After the vortex closed behind them, Shawn and Silva found themselves in a long hallway that had metallic flooring and a glass covering that showed fish of different shapes and sizes swimming in the water that surrounded them.

"It looks like we're at the bottom of an ocean," Shawn noted and looked over at Silva, who seemed lost in thought. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Silva said awkwardly. "I just realized that we didn't properly introduce ourselves."

"That's it?" Shawn then scuffed and started walking down the hallway. "If you really want to know, my name's Shawn."

"I'm Silva, and I wasn't just bothered about not knowing your name," Silva said as he caught up to Shawn. "After we had stepped through the vortex, I found myself in a decimated city covered by lava. At first, I thought I was in the future that Mephiles had showed me and my sister, then someone who looked like me appeared and told me it was my mind. He said his name was 'Silver the Hedgehog' and—

"What did he say?" Shawn asked abruptly.

"He said he was a spirit that was akin to Sonic, but he was from the future of his timeline and told me how Mephiles had tricked him and his companion Blaze into killing Sonic when he was stopped by Shadow who he thinks is possessing you. He's also apparently the reason for my psychokinesis powers and the one who prevented me from suffocating Sonic in his sleep last night."

"That's more information than I needed to know," Shawn said dismissively. Then he turned to Silva and said, "But he is right about me being possessed by Shadow. He's the friend I was telling you about who knows a lot of things."

"I see, so being possessed by a strange spirit that gives you unnatural powers isn't anything new to you."

"No, but I only discovered it recently."

"What happened?"

"It's a long story, and I'd rather not go into it."

Then just before Silva could respond, a loud booming noise echoed down the hallway. Shawn then warped down the hallway while Silva levitated himself off the ground and followed behind. They eventually came to a ruined laboratory with glass and metal parts thrown about. In the center of the room was a glass reactor that had been broken while three bodies lay motionless on the floor around it. After Shawn and Silva got down, a flaming orb emerged from the glass reactor and floated away.

"That flame has got to be Iblis," Silva said, and then he noticed a black substance leaking out from the bottom of the reactor. "Then that black stuff…

"Is Mephiles," Shawn answered.

Silva's eyes widened. "We can't let them escape. I'll go after Iblis and you take care of Mephiles."

"That's what I was going to say," Shawn said as Silva took off after the flaming orb.

Shawn was then about to go after Mephiles when a series of grunts drew his attention to a tall man with white hair wearing a chemical robe that was similar to the other two men that lay on the floor but he didn't wear a mask. Underneath him lay an unconscious girl of ten years old with short chestnut brown hair. The tall man beckoned Shawn to come over, and so he did.

"If you're going to stop Mephiles," the tall man said, gasping in breaths. "Then you're going to need to seal him in this."

The tall man then pulled out the Scepter of Darkness from his robe pocket and held it out to Shawn. In turn, Shawn took the Scepter and went into the hallway that Mephiles slithered into. This in turn led to a series of other hallways with high-vaulted ceilings and glass windows that showed the ocean outside. Several serpent-like creatures and birds tried to stop Shawn, but he quickly transformed into Shadow and fired Chaos Spears at every single one that attacked him. Eventually, he came to a circular room where the black substance that was Mephiles was still crawling.

Shadow then took out the Red Chaos Emerald and said, "Chaos Control!"

Mephiles halted in its tracks and said slowly, " **I know that voice…Shadow, is that you?** "

"Who do you think it is?" Shadow responded.

" **But your form is so different from the one I remember,** " Mephiles said. " **It looks more…human.** "

"Doesn't matter," Shadow said and raised the Scepter of Darkness into the air. "You're still going to get sealed away."

As the Scepter floated up into the air, Mephiles laughed as he was slowly being sucked into it. " **Then I shall be waiting for you in the future.** "

"Indeed," Shadow noted as the Scepter levitated back into his hands with the black substance of Mephiles pulsing from within the Scepter's shaft.

###

"You're not going anywhere, Iblis," Silva said as he used his psychokinetic energy to hold the flame of Iblis above a stone altar.

But the flame was resistant and occasionally spattered fire at Silva, which made him flinch.

"Let me take over," said an apparition that appeared in front of Silva. It looked exactly like him except that the eyes had narrow pupils, the hands were covered by white gloves with blue circles on them, and a pair of white hedgehog ears and one matching tail were visible.

"Silver," Silva said as he recognized the apparition.

"You're not powerful enough to contain Iblis," Silver replied. "I can hold him long enough until the Duke arrives."

"The Duke?"

"Of Soleanna. If I remember right, he should be here soon."

"What's he going to do?"

"He's going to seal Iblis away."

"With what?"

"I don't remember."

"Well, that isn't very reassuring."

"Look, trust me on this. It'll make things a lot easier for you if I take over this one time."

"Will I not remember what happens while you're possessing me? That's usually how these things work in comic-books."

"I don't think so. As long as we can communicate with one other, our memories will be shared between us."

"All right, then let's get it over with."

As the apparition of Silver vanished, Silva noticed the same bright-blue aura that emanated from his hands whenever he used his psychokinesis powers was surrounding him. He didn't try to resist it, and within a matter of seconds Silva had transformed into Silver. Silver then reestablished Silva's psychokinetic grip on Iblis, which forced Iblis to shrink into a smaller flame than he was before and fewer flames spattered from it.

"You cannot simply contain Iblis," said the white-haired tall man from the lab as he appeared behind Silver carrying the unconscious girl in his arms. "He must be sealed away permanently within a member of the royal family."

"That's right," Silver said, turning to the white-haired man. "You're going to seal Iblis within your daughter Elise, right, Duke of Soleanna?"

The white-haired man raised his eyebrows slightly. "How did you know I was going to do that, young man?"

"It's hard to explain, but you mustn't do it," Silver said urgently. "If you do, you'll die and tell Elise not to cry under any circumstances as it'll cause Iblis to be released from her. She'll follow your advice for ten years not knowing the reason behind your death, but then cry when a close friend of hers dies."

"Then do you propose an alternative?" the Duke said sternly.

Silver paused, and then he shook his head. "If the flames of Iblis rejected me before, then they'll probably reject me again. The other option is to seal them into you instead of Elise, but I'm not sure if that'll work."

"Well, I am a member of the royal family, so it's worth a shot," the Duke responded.

"Even though you might die?"

"If it will spare my daughter from future suffering, then I'm willing to do it."

While Silver kept Iblis floating above the altar, the Duke set his daughter down on the ground before approaching the altar and lying flat on his back. Silver then took out the silver-colored Chaos Emerald and allowed it to hover over the Duke's head. The Duke then closed his eyes and bellowed a chant out loud.

"Eternal Sun! The Living Flame that has been entrusted to the royal family! Fall into slumber within a royal soul!"

Immediately, the flame of Iblis was sealed within the Silver Chaos Emerald, and then a red beam of light shined down on the Duke. At first, the Duke seemed calm, and then he started writhing in pain. Silver let his hand fall and he walked up to the altar.

"Duke, are you all right?" Silver asked.

"The flames…I think they're rejecting me," the Duke said wearily.

"That's what I was afraid of," Silver said, and looked over at the sleeping Elise.

"Quickly, bring my daughter to the altar and place her beside me," the Duke said anxiously.

Reluctantly, Silver did as the Duke ordered and brought Elise to the altar. After laying her next to the Duke, the red beam of light moved from the Duke's abdomen to Elise's. She made no reaction after the beam of light died down and the Silver Chaos Emerald floated back into Silver's hands. The Duke's breathing grew slower as he turned to Elise and stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry for what I've done, Elise," the Duke said softly. "But you must be brave, and never cry no matter…what…happens."

Then as the Duke died, Silver lowered his head and gripped the Chaos Emerald in his hand.

###

Later, Silver and Shadow managed to find an elevator that took them out of the Aquatic Base and up to the courtyard of the castle in Kingdom Valley. While Shadow held the Scepter of Darkness in one hand, Silver was carrying Elise in his arms without too much difficulty. Though the courtyard's ceiling was intact, the place was empty.

"I'm surprised there aren't any servants around," Shadow said looking around.

"Maybe those two men in the lab were the Duke's only servants," Silver mumbled.

"That's certainly possible," Shadow responded. "So where is the Duke? Did you find him?"

Silver lowered his head. "I did, and he's now dead because of me."

"What did you do?" Shadow asked.

"I tried to prevent him from sealing Iblis within Elise, remembering what would happen if he did, and so I suggested that he absorb the flames instead."

"Did he go with it?"

"He was willing to for the sake of his daughter, but I guess the flames rejected him and so they had to be sealed in Elise. Then after the Duke told Elise not to cry, he died."

"Then you shouldn't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault."

"But how can I not blame myself? I tried to change something that couldn't be changed, and someone had to die for it."

"He would've died anyway if you hadn't done anything, but I know how you feel. Forty years ago from now, I tried to save the reincarnation of someone I cared about from dying the same way as she did before."

"Did you succeed?"

"Her life was spared, but I was still blamed for her apparent death like before and put in suspended animation for fifty years."

"Geez, no wonder you didn't want to talk about it back at the Aquatic Base. That's some heavy stuff."

"Exactly."

While Silver placed Elise at the foot of a winding staircase, Shadow put the Scepter of Darkness in Elise's hands.

"You're just going to let it go?" Silver said with slight bewilderment.

"I know the Scepter will be found again in the future," Shadow said as he walked away. "So its current location doesn't ultimately matter."

"Well, in that case, we should be getting back to the present," Silver replied as he picked up the Silver Chaos Emerald.

Shadow nodded and picked up the Red Chaos Emerald in response.

To be continued…


	66. Chapter 66: Future

**Sorry that this story-arc is taking longer to resolve than my other story-arcs, but it's mostly because the original game's story is ridiculously complicated and I'm trying to keep it down to the basics. But even the basic elements are complicated, so bear with me as I try to wrap things up within the next few chapters before moving onto the next story-arc.**

Chapter 66: Future

After stepping through the white vortex a second time, Silva found himself standing in one of New City's main plazas with Blake standing in front of him.

Blake blinked a few times before asking, "Where on Mobius did you come from?"

"You're not going to believe this," Silva said, shaking his head wearily. "But I just got back from the past."

"No way," Blake said dismissively.

"I'm serious, Blake," Silva responded. "It would take too long to explain, but I found out that Sonic's not the Iblis Trigger."

"So Mephiles was wrong?"

"He deliberately tricked us from the start, hoping we would kill Sonic so that Iblis could be released from Elise and—

"You mean the Princess?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Sonic brought her back to the New City palace yesterday."

"Are you saying I've been gone for an entire day?"

"Pretty much."

Then just before Silva could respond, a black shadow blocked out the sun. Silva and Blake looked up, and saw a large red and yellow ship flying above the city. A few civilians screamed when they saw the ship, while the rest ran into nearby buildings for shelter.

"That's the same ship Eggman took Elise into when he kidnapped her the first night we got here," Silva said. "He's probably heading for the palace."

Blake followed the ship's path and took off in its direction. "Then we should get to Elise before he does."

"Right, but we're not going to kill her," Silva said as he followed Blake's lead.

"Because it will release Iblis?"

"Yeah, and we can't have that happen at any cost."

###

" _People of Soleanna_ ," Eggman's voice bellowed over the speakers attached to the Egg Carrier. " _If your beloved princess does not give herself up this instant, then I shall burn New City to the ground!_ "

"That's the same threat he used on us," Chuck said as he and the others watched the Egg Carrier fly over the hotel.

"I guess Eggman's running out of ideas," Miles said sarcastically.

"Well we can't just stand here and let him take Elise," Sonny said. "We've got to stop him."

"But Sonny, you just got back," Amelia said, grabbing Sonny's arm. "And why do you seem to care more about Elise than me?"

"It's not that I care about her more than you," Sonny answered, looking down at Amelia. "She's in danger and I feel obliged to help her."

"I understand that, yet I have this feeling you might die for real if you go through with this."

Sonny hesitated, and then he said, "You're always worried I'm going to die whenever I do something reckless to save the world."

"I know, but this is different."

"I'll be fine, Amelia. Trust me."

Amelia sighed in response. "Well, if you must go, then take this."

From her dress-pocket, Amelia pulled out the Blue Chaos Emerald and gave it to Sonny.

"Where did you get this?" Sonny asked, recognizing it as the same one he gave to Dr. Eggman at White Acropolis.

"I stole it while I was on Dr. Eggman's ship," Amelia answered giddily.

"Glad you found it," Sonny said as he kissed Amelia on the forehead. "I'll see you later."

Then Sonny took off while Amelia waved him goodbye with a sad look on her face. Miles and Chuck watched Sonny disappear before they followed Amelia back into the hotel lobby where they saw Maria, Shahra, and Merlina standing with their suitcases in hand.

"Where do you think you're going?" Amelia asked irritably.

"We're going back home," Merlina answered. "It's no longer safe for us here."

"But what about Elise?" Miles asked. "Don't you guys care about what might happen to her?"

"We tried to see her yesterday when she came back, but the guards wouldn't let us into the palace," Shahra said frowning. "So Merlina assumed that Elise has cut us off."

"Isn't that a little presumptuous?" Amelia said folding her arms.

"That's what I said," Maria piped. "But Merlina—

"Stop making me look like the bad guy!" Merlina snapped. "If you want to stay here and possibly get killed, fine, but I'm still going."

Merlina then took her suitcase from the pile and was about to walk out the door when a Soleanna guard blocked her path.

"Excuse me," Merlina said trying to sidestep the guard, but he got in the way.

"No one is to leave this hotel till further notice," the guard said.

"Why not?" Merlina asked.

"The Princess of Soleanna has ordered all civilians and tourists to stay indoors for safety reasons while she is in the process of negotiating with Dr. Robotnik's demands."

Merlina's eyes widened and then she scuffed and walked back to the others.

"What did the guard say?" Shahra asked. "Can we leave?"

Merlina shook her head. "No, it seems our princess got the bright idea to have everyone wait inside while she tries to talk to Robotnik."

"That's very brave of her," Maria said solemnly. "For a Princess, I mean."

"Yes, but it means that she'll either wind up as Dr. Robotnik's hostage, or possibly get killed if she refuses."

After that, everyone went silently back to their rooms.

###

"Hey," Rouge Baxter said once Shawn had emerged from the white vortex that appeared in the alleyway she was standing in. "I take it you time-traveled again."

"How long have I been gone?" Shawn asked as he stood up from his crouched position while the vortex closed behind him.

"About twenty-four hours," Rouge answered. "Where did you go?"

"To the past. I learned what I needed to know about Project Solaris and how to defeat Mephiles."

"Well, that's good because Omega's been tracking him for quite a while."

"Did Omega tell you how he ended up the future?"

"He told me all about it after I failed to get in contact with G. U. N. yesterday."

"Was your transmitter broken?"

"No, we think Dr. Eggman might be jamming communications between Soleanna and the outside world."

"So what did Omega say?"

"He said Mephiles broke into a G. U. N. facility a few miles south of White Acropolis, killed one guard for his trench-coat and scarf, and was caught stealing a Chaos Emerald. But before Omega could apprehend him, Mephiles transported him and an experimental containment device with a Shadow Android inside it to the future where he was immediately shut down by Mephiles."

"Then that means what Mephiles predicted about me might actually happen if we don't stop him first," Shawn said as he concentrated on the Red Chaos Emerald once more. "Where is Omega now?"

"At the Wave Ocean inlet," Rouge said. Then she heard ringing coming from her transmitter bracelet and answered it. "Hello? Hey. Yes, Shawn's here. You did what? Where did he go? Okay. We'll be right there."

After Rouge hung up, Shawn asked. "Was that Omega?"

"Yeah," Rouge answered, sounding concerned. "He encountered Mephiles and tried to subdue him, but he got away."

"Does he have a sense of where Mephiles might've gone?"

"Omega's sensors seem to be picking up a faint signal to the northwest of here, which would take us right into the Dusty Desert ruins."

"How do you know that?"

"I looked at some maps of Soleanna while you were gone."

"Then we should get going." Shawn walked past Rouge but was halted by Rouge's hand holding his.

"Remember this, Shawn," Rouge said quietly. "Even if the world turns against you, I will always be by your side."

Shawn looked back at Rouge and nodded as he squeezed her hand tightly. "Thanks."

###

Sonic pursued the Egg Carrier relentlessly as it flew just in front of him. He passed through the jungle north of New City, Kingdom Valley, and had just gotten through an abandoned castle when he saw the Egg Carrier's engines suddenly catch fire and then the ship started slowly descended behind a large cliff on the other side of a lake that lay north of the castle. A faint but audible booming noise soon followed, which made Sonic's eyes widen as his knees suddenly gave way.

"Not again," Sonic muttered. "I was given another chance to save Elise, and I blew it."

"There's no point in beating yourself up now, Sonic," Sonny's apparition said. "We tried our best."

"But our best wasn't good enough," Sonic said as he took the Blue Chaos Emerald from his trouser-pocket. "If only we had two Chaos Emeralds."

"It's not too late!"

Sonic turned around and saw Silva standing behind him while a purple-haired girl stood nearby.

"How long have you been following me?" Sonic asked.

"Since New City," Silva answered as he took the Silver Chaos Emerald from his jacket-pocket. "If we use my Emerald and yours, you could go back to an earlier time and save Elise then."

"So I take it you got in touch with Silver," Sonic said as he walked toward Silva with the Blue Chaos Emerald in hand.

Silva nodded, and then he and Sonic both shouted, "Chaos Control!"

The white vortex immediately opened right in front of Sonic and Silva.

Sonic was just about to enter it when he turned back to Silva and said, "I very much appreciate what you've done for me, Silva. Now you need to do your part to save the world."

Then Sonic stepped through the vortex after throwing Silva the Blue Chaos Emerald. After Silva caught it, the vortex closed behind Sonic. Silva looked at the two Chaos Emeralds and then at Blake.

"I wonder what he meant by that," Silva wondered out loud. "How are we supposed to save the world when we've been unintentionally trying to end it up till now?"

Blake looked toward the other side of the lake and saw a fiery light rising over the cliffs. "We need to go to the future."

"What? Why?" Silva then noticed the fiery light and scowled. "We just need to seal Iblis again, and he's right over those cliffs across the lake."

"That's not Iblis," Blake said. "What we're seeing is Solaris, the combination of Mephiles and Iblis, and we're not strong enough to take that thing on currently. In order to prevent this from happening, Iblis needs to be sealed in the past, present, and future of our current timeline."

"How do you know this is the right thing to do?" Silva asked as he reopened the vortex.

"While you were gone, I actually met Blaze, the one whom Dr. Eggman mistook me for," Blake said. "Not in person, though, but—

"In your head?" Silva finished.

"Is that where you met Silver?" Blake asked.

Again, Silva nodded.

"Then there's no point in questioning my judgement," Blake said as she went through the vortex first.

"Yeah, but something about this plan bugs me," Silva said as he followed after Blake.

To be continued…


	67. Chapter 67: Sacrifice

Chapter 67: Sacrifice

In the desolate future engulfed by unholy fire, Silva and Blake arrived via the white vortex created by the Silver and Blue Chaos Emeralds Silva carried with him. Blake then looked around and took off in a particular direction. Silva followed close behind her, but felt his chest tighten for some reason. Then in a split-second, his mind was filled with the images he saw from the nightmare he had at the hotel in New City.

"Silver," Silva said, followed by Silver's apparition appearing before him. "The images I saw the night you stopped me from killing Sonic…were they visions of the future?"

"Why do you ask?" Silver wondered.

"Because Blake and I are about to face Iblis, and I dreamed of a conflict between Iblis and two creatures," Silva answered. "In fact, one of the creatures kind of looked like you."

Silver closed his eyes and shook his head. "What you saw weren't images of the future."

Silva's eyes widened in response. "They weren't?"

"They were my memories, from when I was alive."

"Then you know how the battle will end, right? Do we win?"

Before Silver could answer, Blake suddenly stopped at the edge of the same building they stood on when Mephiles brought them to the future for the first time. Immediately, the lava-like flames rose and from them emerged Iblis. Silva then responded by transforming into Silver while a purple aura with flames surrounded Blake. After Silver used his psychokinesis to send several projectiles at Iblis, he looked over at Blake and saw her irises had grown more narrow. She also had a pair of purple cat ears and a matching tail that were visible.

"Blaze," Silver said with disbelief.

"Hey," the cat-eared girl said waving at Silver. "I thought you were gone for good."

"Same here," Silver replied when Iblis fired several flaming projectiles at them both.

"Let's catch up later," Blaze said as flames appeared around her hands. "We've got to deal with Iblis first."

"Right," Silva nodded and levitated the projectiles Iblis threw at them.

He in turn sent them hurling at Iblis, who was wounded but quickly recovered afterwards. Blaze in turn sent her own waves of fire at Iblis, which didn't damage him but it made his flames gradually weaker. This in turn allowed Silver to hurl more projectiles at Iblis and keep him from recovering faster. Then just before Iblis sank back into the lava-like flames, Silver walked up to the edge of the building, held one Chaos Emerald in each hand, and was about to speak when Blaze walked up to him and placed her hands on the Chaos Emeralds.

"You know what must be done, right?" Blaze said looking down at the Chaos Emeralds.

"I do," Silver said, and withdrew the Chaos Emeralds from Blaze's hands. "But if I seal you away, your host will be sealed as well."

"I've already talked to her about it, and she understands," Blaze said and walked towards Silver. "Now give me the Chaos Emeralds, Silver."

"No," Silver responded. "I don't want us to lose you again."

"Then would you rather have Iblis still exist to cause misery in this timeline?"

Silver hesitated and then he sighed. "Why must we make sacrifices in order to save the world?"

"Think of this as a temporary parting," Blaze said as she took the Chaos Emeralds from Silver. "If all goes according to what happened last time, none of this will happen to begin with."

Before Silver could stop her, Blaze walked toward Iblis with one Chaos Emerald in each hand.

"Eternal Sun!" Blaze shouted as a red chakra gem appeared on her forehead. "The Living Flame that has been entrusted to the royal family! Fall into slumber within my soul, so that your disastrous flames may never harm anyone again!"

As the Chaos Emeralds glowed brightly, Iblis was reduced from a towering monster to a fiery orb. Next, it disintegrated into the two Chaos Emeralds and red beams shot from the Emeralds into Blaze's chest. Afterwards, Blaze tossed the Chaos Emeralds to Silver as she was surrounded by the unnatural flames of Iblis.

"Do it now, before Iblis changes his mind," Blaze said urgently.

Silver reluctantly nodded and shouted, "Chaos Control!"

A purple vortex appeared with Blaze inside it, followed by a bright flash. Then when the vortex vanished, Blaze was gone. Silver watched as the smoky clouds suddenly began to part overhead while he changed back into Silva.

"Did you know this would happen, Silver?" Silva said, trying to fight back the tears that were streaming down his face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

In response, Silver's apparition turned away. "I was going to, but then Iblis showed up and—

"You don't need to say anything more," Silva abruptly said, and used the two Chaos Emeralds to create the white vortex. "Let's go back to the present. We're needed there, right?"

Silver nodded as Silva stepped through the white vortex with heavy shoulders.

###

"So where is Mephiles located?" Shawn asked once he and Rouge met up with Omega in the Dusty Desert ruins.

" _According to my sensors, he is inside these ruins,_ " Omega answered as he reloaded his cannon arms with fresh cartridges. " _He won_ _'_ _t get away this time._ "

"Let's hope not," Rouge said as she transformed. "Are you ready for this, boys?"

While Omega nodded, Shawn quickly changed into Shadow and together the three of them went inside.

The ruins themselves were practically empty except this one had lit torches lined all around the room. At the center was an altar-shaped structure where Mephiles was floating up towards the Yellow Chaos Emerald placed in the center of the altar. As soon as he reached for it, Mephiles turned around and looked down on Shadow and the other two. His hair and skin were still crystallized in dark and light-blue colors and the whites of his green serpentine eyes had gone pink while his non-existent mouth moved.

" **I knew you would eventually come after me, Shadow,** " Mephiles said casually. " **I** **'** **m just surprised you didn** **'** **t show up sooner.** "

"You're not going to win, Mephiles," Shadow said as he took the Scepter of Darkness from Rouge's hand and held it next to the Red Chaos Emerald while Rouge and Omega took out their Chaos Emeralds as well. "Once this is fixed, you're going back in the Scepter of Darkness for good!"

As the Chaos Emeralds glowed, the cracks in the Scepter's shaft were fixed. Then Shadow held it over his head and the Scepter emitted a bright light that made Mephiles flinch. However, Mephiles did not disintegrate into the black mass that was his true form and instead he laughed maniacally.

" **Did you really think that trick you used ten years ago would work on me again?** " Mephiles asked sarcastically. " **You should** **'** **ve remembered that from the first time you tried it on me.** "

Mephiles then sent a purple orb of energy at the Scepter, which shattered to pieces in Shadow's hand. Next, Mephiles held the Purple and Yellow Chaos Emeralds in each hand, and allowed them to float above his head. In turn, the Emeralds glowed brightly as several copies of Mephiles appeared throughout the room.

As the copies of Mephiles closed in around Shadow and the others, the real Mephiles hovered above them with his arms folded.

" **If you join me, Shadow, I might spare your friends** ," Mephiles said.

In response, Shadow just removed the gold rings from his wrists and glared up at Mephiles. "You don't scare me. I'm willing to take you on, and so are my friends."

Shadow then released a huge blast of energy that passed through all the Mephiles copies and weakened them severely. While they were stunned, Shadow blazed his way through them while Rouge flew overhead and Omega used his cannon arms to blast a path leading straight to Mephiles. However, once they got to the altar, Mephiles was nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit," Shadow cursed. "Those copies were merely to distract us so he could get away."

"It's okay, Shadow," Rouge said. "Omega will figure out his location and we'll go after him again."

"Well, Omega had better hurry," Shadow said impatiently. "Because if we don't stop Mephiles, he's going to kill Sonic."

###

After Sonic had gone through the vortex that he and Silva created, he found himself back in New City one hour before Elise gave herself up to Dr. Eggman as he threatened to destroy the city if she didn't. Avoiding the hotel completely, Sonic ran throughout the town until he came across another trans-dimensional gateway near the canals that took him directly to Aquatic Base. There, Dr. Eggman's robots immediately spotted him and attacked. But he didn't bother to destroy them and made his way to the hangar where the Egg Carrier was preparing to launch. As the doors opened to reveal water pouring down the sides of a runway that ran through part of the ocean, Sonic jumped onto the top of the Egg Carrier as its jet engines fired up and blasted it through the parted sea up into the air.

Fortunately, there weren't any robots on the Carrier's topside, so Sonic wasn't interrupted as he watched Elise allow herself to get taken by Dr. Eggman up to the Egg Carrier's underside. While Sonic was tempted to save Elise then, he decided it would be too risky and waited instead. After several hours passed, Sonic thought he saw someone appear out of nowhere and float in midair several feet above the Egg Carrier. He couldn't see the person very well, but made his way into a nearby porthole as the mysterious figure fired purple-colored energy blasts at the engines which immediately caught fire. Sonic then made his way to the bridge, and found Dr. Eggman panicking at the control-panel while Elise was standing up nervously behind him.

"Playtime's over, Eggman!" Sonic shouted, getting Elise and Dr. Eggman's attention.

"Sonic!" Elise exclaimed and walked around Sonic till she was standing in the doorway to the bridge.

"You'll pay for this, Sonic!" Dr. Eggman growled. "Damaging my ship just so you could rescue the Princess!"

"That wasn't me, Doc," Sonic said as he picked up Elise. "But I would focus on not crashing the Egg Carrier if I were you."

As Dr. Eggman briefly looked away, Sonic took off with Elise in his arms. An explosion in front of them caused part of the Egg Carrier to break off and so Sonic was forced to climb up to the top where he saw the Carrier heading towards the cliffs on the other side of the lake north of Kingdom Valley. Sonic then turned his head to Elise, who held onto him tightly.

"You're not scared, are you?" Sonic asked.

Elise shook her head. "No, I'll be fine."

"Okay, then let's go," Sonic said as he ran off the edge of the Egg Carrier and used the chunks of debris that were falling off to jump off from towards the top of the cliffs.

Unfortunately, his foot missed the edge of the cliff and so he held onto it with one arm.

"Are you okay, Sonic?" Elise asked.

"Yeah," Sonic said as his fingers began to slip. "But I can't hold on much longer. I'll toss you up to the cliff's edge."

"Okay," Elise said as she felt Sonic's arm lift her upwards.

She managed to grab the edge of the cliff and pull herself up with ease. Then she looked back at Sonic and grabbed his hand just as he was about to fall. Once Sonic got his footing, he walked quickly up the cliff and onto the top of it.

"Thanks, Elise," Sonic said as he sat down next to Elise who was on her knees. "I guess I owe you one."

"Don't mention it," Elise said as she straightened her dress out. "So I wanted to ask you something before you take me back to the palace."

"Is it a long question?"

"No."

"Then why don't you ask me while I'm carrying you home?"

"Aren't you tired?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Well, if you say so."

After Elise got back in his arms, Sonic took off along the cliffs and around the lake which shimmered in the fading light.

"Sonic," Elise began, though her cheeks were turning red. "Do you…have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, sort of," Sonic answered casually.

"Sort of?"

"She calls herself my girlfriend, but we're not officially dating. However, my host Sonny is dating the host of the girl who's kind of my girlfriend."

"What's her name? The girl who claims she's your girlfriend, I mean."

"Amy Rose. She's got the same ears and tail that I have, but they're pink instead of blue."

"Oh. She was the one who helped me escape from the Egg Carrier after you vanished."

"Right. I heard about that from my host."

"Does Sonny talk to you?"

"No, we share memories. But we also talk too."

"I see."

For a while, neither Sonic nor Elise spoke as they passed through Kingdom Valley toward New City. However, they saw someone appear several feet in front of them. As they got closer, Sonic saw that the person resembled Shawn, but he had green serpent-like eyes and his skin and hair were covered in a crystal-like substance.

"Mephiles!" Sonic exclaimed, and halted.

" **So you're the one responsible for not letting Elise die painfully in the Egg Carrier crash like she was supposed to,** " Mephiles said as he took out the Purple Chaos Emerald.

"I wasn't going to let that happen, no matter what," Sonic said as he put down Elise and shielded her. "So what are you here for? To fix your mistake?"

" **In a way,** " Mephiles replied and fired an energy beam at Sonic and Elise.

Immediately, Sonic turned around and pushed Elise to the side as he received the full blast of the beam. As Elise watched with horror-stricken eyes, Mephiles laughed maniacally the whole time. As the beam disintegrated, Sonic collapsed onto the ground and changed back into Sonny. Surprised, Elise went over to Sonny and tried to wake him, but he didn't move.

" **Why didn't you dodge, Sonic?** " Mephiles said looking down at Sonny's body. " **Your imminent death certainly would've been more interesting if you had.** "

"This has happened before," Elise muttered, which got Mephiles' attention. "You killed him so I would cry and unleash Iblis, right?"

" **So the Princess remembers,** " Mephiles responded, walking slowly up to Elise.

"If you kill me, Iblis won't be yours," Elise said, standing up to Mephiles.

" **I'm well aware of that,** " Mephiles replied. " **So I'm going to kill you in the most painful way possible so you'll have no choice but to cry, Princess.** "

Elise flinched as she felt Mephiles' claw-like hands impale her in the gut. The pain was unbearable enough to make tears well up in her eyes, but Elise fought them back. Then Mephiles held Elise's hands up as she struggled, and continued to stab her again and again with his clawed fingers. After a while, Elise doubled over and felt a single tear fall down her cheek.

To be continued…


	68. Chapter 68: Fix

Chapter 68: Fix

As the sun was about to set over the sea west of New City, a cluster of dark clouds suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked out the fading light. Amelia and the others watched this from their hotel balconies, and then the sky was ablaze with unnatural fire. A mysterious figure was briefly seen hovering in the air surrounded by seven bright lights in different colors before the flames completely engulfed him. This was followed by a bright flash, which blinded everything in sight, and then afterwards the city was replaced by a dark blue void with floating structures here and there.

One such structure that remained was the altar at the center of the city's main canal where several figures were gathered. Three of them were Amelia, Chuck, and Miles who looked around with confused looks. Then Amelia noticed Silva standing nearby looking down at his palms in confusion.

"Where did the Chaos Emeralds go? They were here in my hands just a second ago, and now they're gone," Silva muttered to himself.

"Silva," Amelia said with disbelief.

In response, Silva turned to face Amelia with wide-eyes. "Amelia."

"What are you doing here?" Chuck asked as he started to crack his knuckles.

"I'm not sure," Silva answered nervously. "But I'm not here to kill Sonic. That was a mistake on my part."

Chuck glared at Silva and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. "You'd better have a good excuse, kid, because I'm not the easily forgiving type."

"Easy, Chuck," Miles said pinching Chuck's shoulder. "Let's hear what he has to say."

"I agree," Rouge Baxter said standing across from Chuck and Silva with Shawn and Omega next to her. "Being brutish to little children is so uncharacteristic of you, Chuck."

"Rouge," Chuck said in irritation. Then he sighed and let go of Silva.

After Silva straightened himself out, he looked toward Amelia. "I know you probably won't forgive me for what I did, Amelia, but you were right. Sonic wasn't the one who was going to destroy the world."

"He was tricked into thinking Sonic would destroy the world by Mephiles the Dark," Shawn said abruptly. "But since Silva failed to kill Sonic twice, Mephiles decided to finish the job himself."

" _And it seems he has succeeded,_ " Omega said and stepped aside to show Sonny's limp body lying next to Elise who was bent over with her arms wrapped around her blood-soaked dress.

"Sonny?" Amelia said and dashed over to him. She knelt down and tried to wake him up but he didn't move.

"I'm so sorry," Elise muttered, then she started to cough up blood.

"Elise!" Amelia exclaimed as she got up and sat down next to Elise to examine her wounds. "What happened to you?"

"After Mephiles killed Sonic, he stabbed me in the gut several times with his hands," Elise said quietly. "I tried not to, but I cried and released Iblis from within me."

"So that explains our present situation," Dr. Robotnik said, appearing from the shadow of the altar. "Mephiles must have summoned the Chaos Emeralds to him and used them to join with Iblis after Elise's seal was broken. This in turn caused Mephiles to become Solaris, which is that blinding light above us. He is currently destroying all existing timelines until time itself collapses into nothingness. Fortunately, the natural instability of time created the time-space rift we are currently standing in. But it won't remain for long, unless Solaris is defeated."

"Then what are we supposed to do about it?" Shawn asked. "Without the Chaos Emeralds or Sonic, we're pretty much doomed."

"It's all my fault," Elise said as fresh tears rolled down her face.

"Stop talking, Elise," Amelia said sternly as Elise coughed up more blood. "You need to save your energy."

"There must be some way to fix this," Silva said.

After a long pause, Miles suddenly exclaimed, "Hold on a minute!"

"What is it?" Chuck asked.

"Tails just remembered that when this happened before, the Chaos Emeralds were spread across the rift. So he and the others collected the Emeralds and used them to revive Sonic before his spirit passed onto the afterlife. Maybe we can do the same."

"But how would we know where to look, assuming Solaris has scattered the Chaos Emeralds?" Rouge wondered.

"My glasses are equipped with special scanners that can pick up the signal of any Chaos Emerald within the entire world," Dr. Robotnik said, using his hand to adjust the dark lenses. After a few minutes, a wide grin appeared on his face. "It seems Miles' hunch was correct. Solaris has spread each of the Chaos Emeralds throughout the rift."

"Then we should split up and hurry if we're to save Sonic's spirit in time!" Miles said as he transformed into Tails.

The others followed Miles' example and went off in different directions from the altar after transforming into their spirit counterparts. Dr. Robotnik stayed behind to give each group instructions on where the Chaos Emeralds were via phone hacking while Amelia tended to Elise's wounds the best she could. Using strips of her own dress, Amelia was able to use them as makeshift bandages around the parts where Mephiles' hands pierced Elise.

"Amelia," Elise said weakly.

"Don't speak," Amelia responded. "Unless you really have to."

"Why are you being so nice to me? I don't deserve it after what I've done."

"It wasn't your fault, Elise. Whoever sealed Iblis inside you is really to blame for all of this."

"My father…he sealed Iblis inside me during Sonic's time and ten years ago when I was a little girl," Elise looked down at her exposed mid-drift and painfully sighed. "But strangely enough, I'm not angry at him for what he did."

"Well you should be mad at him because if he hadn't, none of this would've happened."

"But there's nothing we can do about it now, except to fix his mistake." Elise suddenly gasped and passed out.

"Elise," Amelia said, but heard no response. "Elise!"

Upon hearing that, Dr. Robotnik walked over to Amelia and Elise.

"What is it?" Dr. Robotnik asked.

"Elise passed out, and she's not responding," Amelia said anxiously.

Dr. Robotnik then knelt down and felt Elise's palm. His brows furrowed after a few seconds. "Her pulse is dropping rapidly. She doesn't have long to live."

"Is there anything you can do for her?" Amelia asked.

"My specialty is robotics and engineering, not healing."

"What about the Chaos Emeralds? Could they possibly heal her?"

"They might, but I'm not sure how Emerald-related miracles work. The previous ones were possible through Sonic's connection to the Emeralds themselves, but now that he's dead we're going to need someone with a similar connection to perform the miracle. From what Dr. Eggman can recall, Elise was the one who brought back Sonic before because she channeled everyone's thoughts into the Chaos Emeralds through prayer. Yet in her present condition, I doubt she will have the strength to do it again if she doesn't die first."

As Dr. Robotnik got up, Amelia put Elise's head in her lap and said, "Hang in there, Elise. We're all counting on you."

###

A few minutes later, Tails and the others showed up with the Chaos Emeralds intact. They then placed them around Sonny's body in a circular formation while Amelia tried to revive Elise. Elise's eyes fluttered open, and then she tried to sit up. Amelia then helped Elise to her knees and joined her in a praying position. The others did the same except for Silver and Shadow who closed their eyes and spread their arms out which caused the Chaos Emeralds to glow in response.

"Sonic," Elise said in a hoarse voice. "If you're still with us in spirit, please come back. We need you, and…so do I."

The Chaos Emeralds grew brighter as Sonny was lifted into the air. Elise was helped to her feet by Amelia, and they walked over to Sonny's body. Amelia then helped Elise lean forward to kiss Sonny, but Elise stopped midway.

"What's wrong?" Amelia asked.

"Are you sure you're okay with me kissing your boyfriend?" Elise said nervously.

"If it will bring back Sonic, then I'll let this incident pass," Amelia responded.

"Thank you," Elise replied, and then she kissed Sonny on the lips.

A few seconds went by, but nothing happened.

"He should've been revived by now," Shadow said.

"Did we miss something?" Silver wondered.

"Maybe I should try," Amelia offered. "After all, this is Sonny I'm kissing and not Sonic."

Elise stepped aside as Amelia did the same act. This time, a bright light flashed as Amelia's lips touched Sonny's. Once the flash subsided, Super Sonic appeared in Sonny's place and levitated down. While the others cheered, Elise grinned as she became limp and fell into Sonic's arms.

"Thank you, Elise," Sonic said. "Elise?"

Elise did not respond to Sonic's words, and her eyes weren't blinking. In response, Sonic lowered Elise onto the floor of the altar and closed her eyelids. After a brief nod, Sonic got up and turned to Shadow and Silver. He stretched his hands out to them and the same gold-colored energy that emanated from him spread to Silver and Shadow who transformed into their Super forms as well. Then together, the three flew up toward the blinding light above them and came face-to-face with Solaris. He was a towering figure with a star-shaped structure that spun rapidly behind his bird-like head and staff-like body which held a bright red orb that was shielded by two massive arms.

"You ready for this?" Sonic said as he made his signature sideways grin.

"Absolutely!" Silver exclaimed with a tinge of excitement in his voice.

"We need to destroy Solaris' core two times if we're to win," Shadow responded firmly. "Once in his current state, and again in his second phase."

"Then let's get right to it!" Sonic cried as he flew straight at Solaris with Shadow and Silver following behind.

Once they got close enough, the three split up as Solaris fired lasers from his body at them. While Silver blocked the various stones Solaris sent at them with his Psychokinesis, Shadow used his Chaos Spears to distract Solaris so that Sonic could ram into Solaris' core at top-speed with his Homing Attack. This pattern continued a few more times until Solaris fell apart only to reappear as a bird-shaped figure with talon-like hands and flapping wings. Sonic and the others promptly followed the same pattern only more quickly than before so Solaris couldn't block them with his hands.

Once Solaris was defeated permanently, there was a bright flash of light which engulfed Sonic, Shadow, and Silver. As their Super forms died down, they found themselves floating in an endless blue void with one bright light shining in front of them. Sonic immediately flew into the light while the other two followed. They soon found themselves in a dark hallway with pillars on either side and marble flooring. The only source of light came from a single white flame inside a glass container that was being looked at by the Duke of Soleanna himself and a younger version of Princess Elise.

"This is it, Elise," the Duke said proudly. "The Flame of Iblis, which took me almost a decade of research to recreate."

"It's so pretty," Elise responded cheerfully.

"With this Flame, I will be able to create Solaris which will allow us to travel through time and fix past mistakes so that there is less suffering in the world today."

"Will we be able to see Mom?" Elise asked with a tint of sadness.

"Yes, Elise," the Duke answered as he gently rubbed Elise's head. "We will even be able to see your mother again. Now, off to bed with you."

"Okay," Elise said reluctantly as the Duke led her away from the Flame by the hand.

Once the Duke and Elise had left, Sonic Shadow and Silver walked up to the glass container.

"What are we doing in the past?" Shadow wondered out loud.

"Yeah, I thought we defeated Solaris for good," Silver said folding his arms.

"Not completely," Sonic said as he waved his hand over the glass container, which vanished, and pulled out the candleholder that held the Flame of Iblis. "This is exactly what happened to Elise and I when we defeated Solaris the first time. In order for Solaris to be truly destroyed, he had to no longer exist and so the Flame of Iblis had to be blown out in order to accomplish this."

"What about Mephiles?" Shadow intervened. "Wouldn't he need to be destroyed as well?"

"Mephiles is only a threat if he's released from the Scepter of Darkness," Silver said. "So I don't think we need to necessarily destroy him. Besides, he can't become Solaris if Iblis is out of the equation."

"Exactly," Sonic responded. He was about to blow out the Flame but hesitated. "Once Iblis is gone, everything that has happened up till now will be erased entirely."

"Including Elise's death?" Shadow asked.

"Yes," Sonic nodded. "But it will also mean that Elise might never attend Central City High School since her father won't die and therefore never meet Sonny in person."

"She also won't become friends with Shahra, Merlina, and Maria if that happens," Silver added.

"But isn't that how it's supposed to be?" Shadow suggested. "Maybe you and Elise were never meant to be together considering that her love for you caused our timeline to nearly collapse in the first place. The same applies to this timeline, though the circumstances have been slightly altered from the last time."

Sonic said nothing as Shadow walked toward him.

"To put it another way, would you rather have the world be destroyed because of a girl you barely knew or keep the world intact even if it means never seeing the girl in person?" Shadow said as he put a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "The choice is yours."

After a pause, Sonic nodded. "You're right, Shadow. Elise and I weren't meant to be together. The pain of what happened made me forget about her until I saw her reincarnated self. If I had known what was going to happen sooner, I would've told Sonny to not go to Soleanna with more certainty. But now that I have the means to fix everything, I want to spare Sonny from the misery I went through and prevent Elise's reincarnation from suffering as well."

As Shadow stepped back, Sonic looked down at the glowing white flame once more before he blew it out.

To be continued…


	69. Chapter 69: Transformation

**This chapter is more or less an epilogue of the previous story-arc and a transition into the next one which will be based on** _ **Sonic Unleashed**_ **.**

Chapter 69: Transformation

It was the week before Finals and Sonny was on his way to the cafeteria for lunch. He passed by the classroom where The Blue Blur Fan-Club met, but he didn't stop to look inside. After getting his usual meal of a hot-dog with chili on the side, Sonny met up with Miles and Amelia at a table near the back.

"Hey, Sonny," Amelia said as she greeted him. "Miles was just telling me that he's planning to go to Spagonia for Winter Break."

"You're going to Spagonia?" Sonny said in disbelief as he looked at Miles.

"It's for an internship I've arranged with Professor Pickle, who's a leading expert on ancient literature and mythology," Miles said. "But I won't go unless you had something else in mind for us to do during Winter Break."

"No, you should totally go, Miles," replied Sonny. "It'll get you out of the apartment and the Secret Hangar for a while."

"Actually, I finished repairing the _Tornado 2_ and decided to paint it red and yellow."

"That's great news," Amelia responded. "Are you going to call it the _Tornado 3_?"

"No, just _Tornado-1_ ," Miles replied. "And I'm going to bring it to Spagonia with me."

Sonny was about to answer when his cellphone started ringing. "Hello?"

" _Hello, Blue Blur_ ," said a familiar but imposing voice.

"Commander!" Sonny exclaimed, which got Miles and Amelia's attention.

" _I thought I_ _'_ _d let you know that Dr. Eggman is up to no good again. He was last seen in Soleanna stealing a mysterious object known as the Scepter of Darkness from the Duke_ _'_ _s former palace in Kingdom Valley. I_ _'_ _m appointing you to investigate since Shadow and Rouge are currently busy training two new agents who were survivors of the Westopolis_ _disaster_ _._ "

"Oh? And what makes these two agents deserve more attention than Dr. Eggman?"

" _They are possessed by spirits that claim to be allies to Sonic. Their names are Silver the Hedgehog and Blaze the Cat and the hosts_ _'_ _names are Silva and Blake Hedgeworth respectfully._ "

"So they're brothers?"

" _Actually, they are brother and sister. Now when can I expect you to start investigating Dr. Eggman_ _'_ _s whereabouts?_ "

"I guess I don't have much of a choice then, do I?"

" _Unless you want to endanger the world, then no._ "

"I'll start looking for him after Finals are over. Satisfied?"

" _Fine. Then keep me posted, and don_ _'_ _t say anything about this to anyone._ "

"Okay, bye."

As soon as The Commander of G. U. N. hung up, Sonny immediately told Miles and Amelia about the phone conversation. While Miles offered to drop Sonny off in Soleanna on the way to Spagonia, Amelia decided she would meet up with Sonny in Spagonia once the investigation was over. Sonny in turn accepted their offers and made his way to class after lunch.

###

After arriving in Soleanna during the Festival of the Sun, Sonic ran through the crowded streets along the main canal but briefly stopped when he saw a large ship approaching the altar in the canal's center. On the bow of the ship was a young girl of sixteen with short chestnut brown hair and wearing a white dress with orange tights. He looked at the girl carefully, and realized she was the reincarnation of Princess Elise. Then for a split second, she made eye-contact with him before he continued toward Kingdom Valley.

"Is something wrong, Princess Elise?" asked one of the maids who accompanied the girl.

The girl shook her head in response. "No, I just…thought I saw someone who looked familiar."

###

Along the way, Sonic collected all seven of the Chaos Emeralds before reaching the abandoned castle in Kingdom Valley the following night. There, he found a note inside that said, 'Gather the Chaos Emeralds and meet me up in space' and was signed by Dr. Eggman. After crumbling the note, Sonic concentrated his thoughts on the Chaos Emeralds and used them to transform into his Super self. Once that was done, Sonic flew up into the atmosphere and into the vacuum of space where he saw a fleet of Eggman's ships lingering within Mobius' shadow.

Upon seeing them, Sonic immediately flew toward the fleet. The ships fired lasers at him the minute he was in firing range, but Sonic managed to dodge them all and obliterate every robot that got in his way. He eventually made his way to the bridge of the main ship where he found Dr. Eggman cowering behind a control-panel.

"So...I take it you got my note," Eggman said trying to sound calm.

"It wasn't hard to find," Sonic said smugly. "And that includes the Chaos Emeralds."

"Well, now that you're here, let's see if you can keep up with me this time," Eggman replied as the control-panel was covered with a glass dome and disappeared beneath a hatch that opened up.

"Not a chance, Eggman!" Sonic exclaimed as he flew down the hole which led back out into space.

As Eggman's Egg Mobile flew away from the main ship, Sonic pursued right behind him. Eggman then retreated into a ship that was shaped like a scepter and crashed his Egg Mobile in the main room. But then just before he could get up, Sonic bursted through the metal doors that Eggman closed behind him.

"Don't hurt me, Sonic!" Eggman pleaded as he groveled on the floor. "I'll stop possessing Dr. Robotnik if that's what it takes."

"Is that so?" Sonic said as he landed and walked toward Eggman. "With no way to tell you two apart, how do I know which one I'm talking to?"

In response, Eggman took out a hidden remote from his jacket-sleeve and pressed a big red button on it. This in turn caused several panels to appear around the circular area Sonic was standing in which trapped him and the Chaos Emeralds in a field of electrical energy that was purple in color. While Sonic cried out in pain, Eggman laughed maniacally as he was lifted into a control-panel high above where he pressed yet another large button that was multi-colored instead of red.

Outside the big glass window of the main room, the shaft-shaped part of the ship opened up to reveal a giant laser-cannon that fired a beam of purple energy directly at the planet Mobius. There was a visible explosion seen from space, followed by a short pause, and then all around the globe several unusual fissures appeared. As a result, the planet's molten core became exposed and from it emerged a mysterious being with purple tendrils and a serpent-like head. Meanwhile, the Chaos Emeralds dropped to the floor with all the color drained from them along with Sonic.

"It's just as the Gaia Manuscripts predicted!" Eggman exclaimed as he held up a small scepter adorned with a purple gemstone and sculptured wings. "With the Scepter of Darkness' power boosted by the Chaos Emeralds, I have now unleashed Dark Gaia from Mobius' core! And once I harness its energy, Eggmanland will become a reality!"

" **You** **…** **have no idea what forces you** **'** **re tampering with, Dr. Eggman,** " Sonic said, though his body had changed as well as his voice. Sharp fangs replaced his teeth, sharp claws outlined with white fur replaced his hands, and his hair had grown longer and spikier with white coloring along the edges.

Dr. Eggman looked down at Sonic with arched eyebrows and said, "Is that you, Sonic? It seems the energy from the Scepter has left some unusual side-effects on your body."

" **What are you talking about?** " Sonic asked as he got up wearily.

"I'd like to study you further, but I'm on a busy schedule and you've given me what I've needed so sadly this is goodbye," Dr. Eggman responded as he pressed a button which covered the control-panel with glass as the big window opened up.

Immediately, Sonic was sucked out along with the other Chaos Emeralds into space and toward the planet below.

To be continued…


	70. Chapter 70: Amnesia

**70** **th** **Chapter! Thank you so much for supporting me this far!**

Chapter 70: Amnesia

When Sonic came to, he found himself lying near a windmill that stood by the edge of a sea-cliff. He suddenly heard moaning behind him and noticed a small boy with close-cut brown hair and a bleach-blond Mohawk that was jelled back. The boy wore a chestnut-brown jacket with a white T-shirt underneath, and matching brown shorts and white sneakers.

" **Hey,** " Sonic said as he picked up the child and started shaking him. " **Hey!** "

The violent shaking immediately caused the boy to stop moaning. As the boy's eyes opened, he took one look at Sonic before screaming loudly. In response, Sonic backed away as the boy ran behind a large boulder that was closer to the cliff.

" **Are you all right, kid?** " Sonic said as he approached the boulder.

"Stay away from me, Mr. Monster-Guy!" the boy yelled back. "I'm not very tasty!"

" **Mr. Monster-Guy?** " Sonic looked down at his clawed hands and gently pressed his tongue against his newly-formed fangs. " **Looks like things got out of hand for us, eh, Sonny. Sonny?** "

Sonic then looked around and when Sonny's apparition didn't show up, he instead found the Chaos Emeralds scattered about with their individual colors shaded in dark gray. He picked each of them up and examined them carefully while the small boy peeked out from behind the boulder. When Sonic looked at him, the boy shrunk down.

" **Look, kid, I know I look scary but I'm not going to hurt you,** " Sonic said as he placed the Chaos Emeralds in the pockets of his slightly-torn shorts.

"You won't?" the boy said from behind the boulder.

" **I promise,** " Sonic replied.

The boy then cautiously stepped out from behind the boulder while Sonic stood with his hands limp at his sides to show he meant no harm.

"Wow, you're actually not that scary up close," the boy said as pixie-like wings suddenly sprouted from his back and he flew in circles around Sonic. "What's your name?"

" **I'm, um, Sonic the Hedgehog,** " Sonic said staring at the boy in confusion. " **Though I'm more commonly known as The Blue Blur. What about you?** "

"Oh, my name is…" the boy suddenly stopped flying and then he sank back down as his wings vanished. "Wait, what is my name?"

" **Did you forget?** " Sonic tilted his head and folded his clawed hands. " **What's the last thing you remember?** "

"I remember…something falling from the sky, then everything went white," the boy said rubbing his temples in irritation. "And after that, you woke me up."

" **Nothing else from before comes to mind, like how you got here or where you came from?** "

"Sadly, no." The boy stopped rubbing his temples and looked up at Sonic. "What am I going to do, Mr. Monster – I mean, Sonic the Hedgehog?"

In response, Sonic gently put a clawed hand on the boy's shoulder. " **Don't worry, kid, because I'm going to help you get your memories back.** "

"Really?" the boy's eyes widened. "That's awfully nice of you, but why are you doing this for me?"

Sonic in turn used one clawed finger to lightly scratch his thick hair as he looked astray. " **Well, I did kind of fall a long way down just now and you were lying nearby after I landed. So I'm figuring that maybe I fell on top of you by accident, which caused you get knocked out in the first place and lose your memories in process.** "

"So you think you're the reason for my amnesia and want to make it up by helping me remember who I am."

" **Pretty much.** "

Behind Sonic, the sun rose over the horizon. This in turn suddenly caused Sonic to flinch in pain as a dark-purple aura suddenly enveloped him. Then in a flash, Sonic had changed back into Sonny.

"Woah," the boy exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

"I…have no idea," Sonny replied.

###

Later, Sonny and the boy found themselves entering a seaside town with white adobe-style buildings and wooden windmills.

"Now let me see if I've got this straight," the boy said as Sonny followed behind him. "You're Sonny right now, but you were Sonic before and yet the form I saw was not what Sonic typically looks like."

"You got it, kid," Sonny replied. "Now I'm not sure what the deal was because normally Sonic can change back into me whenever he wants, but for some reason he wasn't able to after he changed into that…werewolf-looking thing."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "You mean Werehog?"

"Werehog?"

"Because he's a hedgehog, at least that's what he claimed."

"He has a hedgehog tail and ears for sure, but I don't know if I would consider him a hedgehog."

"So if he can become you, then you can change into him?"

"Sure."

"Can you do it right now?"

Sonny briefly looked around, saw no people standing by, and nodded.

As the boy watched, Sonny closed his eyes and concentrated really hard. However, when Sonny opened his eyes, nothing changed. He then noticed the boy lingering near an ice-cream stand nearby.

"Hey, kid!" Sonny called. "What are you doing over there? I thought we were going to look for your memories."

"Yeah, just a second," the boy said absent-mindedly staring at an ice-cream sundae. "How much will it be for one of those?"

After Sonny used some money that Miles had given him back in Soleanna to buy the boy and himself a couple of ice-cream sundaes, they walked along a cobbled street into the town which the boy learned was called Windmill Isle from the man who ran the ice-cream stand.

"Mm, this Chocolate Chipped Cream Sundae Supreme is amazing," the boy said as he ate his sundae voraciously.

"Yeah, it sure is," Sonny replied licking his. "But more importantly, we should ask the people around here to see if anyone knows you, Chip."

The boy looked up at Sonny with a mouthful of chocolate. "Chip?"

"It's the nickname I'm giving you temporarily until we figure out your real name. But if you don't like it—

"No, Chip's fine," the boy responded. "I like it."

"Well, that's good."

###

"I can't believe it," the boy Chip groaned. "How could no one in Windmill Isle knows my name?"

"Maybe you're not from around here," Sonny suggested.

"Then where am I from?"

"So I take it none of your memories resurfaced the entire time we were searching."

"Not a thing," Chip sighed as he watched the sun slowly set beyond the windmill where he and Sonny met which was located on a small island that wasn't too far from the coast of Apotos, which was the continent Windmill Isle was a part of. "I'm sorry if I seem like a burden to you."

"You're not burdening me," Sonny said assuredly. "But what I don't understand is why I couldn't transform into Sonic earlier today."

"Did you have to get in touch with him or something?"

"Well, I normally just will myself to become Sonic and it happens. But not this time, and I couldn't see his spirit either."

"His spirit? Is he a ghost?"

"Sort of. It's a little more complicated than that."

As the sun went down over the horizon, Sonny felt a sudden pain in his chest and doubled over. Chip was about to help him when the same dark-purple aura that Sonny emerged from enveloped him again. When it was over, the Werehog version of Sonic appeared once more.

"Oh, Mr. Monster-Guy is back," Chip said as Sonic looked at himself in horror.

" **So when the sun goes down, I transform into this?** " Sonic looked around and was relieved to see no one around. " **Something about this set-up seems familiar.** "

"Are you all right, Sonny – I mean, Sonic?"

" **I'm fine, Chip, but I'll have to make sure none of the people in this town see me like this.** "

"How did you know my name? Do you and Sonny share memories?"

Sonic nodded. " **It comes with the spiritual connection we have.** "

"So you really are a ghost?"

" **I'm a spirit-like entity who possesses Sonny's body from time to time, but I don't remember exactly what I was before I lost physical form though meeting certain people and situations jog my memory.** "

"Then you're a lot like me, in the sense that we both have amnesia."

" **Yeah, plus we've got features that regular humans don't such as my hedgehog ears and your pixie wings.** "

"You mean these things?" Chip said as the pixie-like wings emerged from his back once more.

" **Have you always had those?** " Sonic asked.

"As far as I can remember."

" **Hmm, then maybe you're a human who's possessed by a spirit-like entity as well.** "

"You think so?"

" **It would explain the wings, and the amnesia.** "

Before Chip could reply, a loud scream was heard nearby.

" **Was that…Miles?** "

"Miles?"

" **He's a friend of Sonny's, and has a spirit in him named Tails who is a friend of mine.** "

"I see. It sounds like he's in trouble."

" **That's what I'm worried about,** " Sonic said as he lumbered toward the source of Miles' cry.

To be continued…


	71. Chapter 71: Phenomena

Chapter 71: Phenomena

"What's going on?" Miles asked out loud as he looked at the demonic creatures that surrounded him. "One minute you were people, and then the next you've turned into monsters."

The creatures snapped and growled at him in response.

"There are too many of you to take on, so my only other option…" Miles said as he changed into Tails. "…Is to fly away."

Before the creatures jumped on him, Tails flew away and hid behind the roof of a nearby building. As the moon was covered up by the clouds, another large creature came charging in. Tails couldn't see it clearly enough, but it roared loudly and attacked the creatures with its enormous clawed hands and fur-covered arms that stretched to various lengths at a time. When it was over, the creatures dissipated leaving unconscious people in their place.

" **Miles!** " the creature called in a gruff voice. " **Tails!** "

Upon hearing that, Tails peeked his head out. "Sonic? Is that you?"

The clouds passed overhead, allowing the moonlight to show that the creature was Sonic only he had longer hair, clawed hands, and notable fangs.

" **Of course it's me,** " Sonic replied, then turned away from Tails in embarrassment. " **Though you'll have to excuse my current appearance.** "

In response, Tails flew down and walked up to Sonic. "What happened to you? You've changed completely since I last saw you."

" **It's a long story,** " Sonic replied. " **Do you mind if we talk about it somewhere a little less obvious?** "

Before Tails replied, Chip flew up to Sonic after circling around the unconscious bodies. "Good news, Sonic! None of the people you attacked were injured."

"Well, that's a relief," Sonic replied.

"Does that kid have pixie wings?" Tails said, pointing to the wings that were protruding from Chip's back. "Are you a human possessed by a spirit as well?"

"That's what Sonic thinks, though I'm currently suffering from amnesia," Chip said as he flew down in front of Tails with his hand out. "You must be Miles. I'm Chip."

"Uh, right now I'm Tails," Tails said as awkwardly shook Chip's hand.

###

"Wow, that is some story," Tails said after Sonic had finished explaining how he got to Apotos. The two of them and Chip were standing near the same windmill where Sonic landed. "My guess is that the energy from the Scepter of Darkness was what caused the Chaos Emeralds to be drained of their power and you to transform into your current form, Sonic."

In response, Sonic groaned. " **I figured that much already, but what I don** **'** **t understand is why I can** **'** **t change back into Sonny at night** **and why he can** **'** **t transform into my normal self during the day.** "

"Maybe your spirit got corrupted in the process of being directly exposed to the Scepter of Darkness' energy, thus severing the connection between you and Sonny."

" **But if my soul was corrupted, I wouldn** **'** **t be able to continue sharing memories with Sonny which I** **'** **m still able to do. Plus, why do I only take on this form at night? Wouldn** **'** **t I be no different from those people I fought earlier right now?** "

"I'm not sure if I can answer those questions for you, but I know someone who might."

" **Who?** "

"The man Miles is interning with, Professor Pickle. He went off to Mazuri to study an ancient temple two days ago while Miles was out here collecting data for him, but he should be back at Spagonia University by now unless Eggman's continent-splitting laser prevented him from leaving Mazuri."

" **W** **ouldn** **'** **t you have to explain my connection to Sonny, though?** "

"He already knows, Sonic. That was one of the first things Miles told him."

" **Okay, then how are we supposed to get to Spagonia when all the world's continents have been torn apart?** "

"In the _Tornado-1_ , of course," Tails said as he ran behind the windmill while Sonic and Chip followed.

On the other side was aforementioned biplane, which had the same model as the previous one but it was painted yellow and red this time. While Tails climbed into the cockpit, Chip got onto the bottom wing and Sonic was about to get onto the top wing when he noticed a platform with a laser-gun attached to it.

" **I see you made some significant improvements to the plane besides a new paint-job** ," Sonic said as he got onto the platform.

"With you manning that thing, no aerial enemies are a match for us," Tails said as he started up the engines. "Spagonia, here we come!"

###

"What? Professor Pickle hasn't come back yet?" Miles exclaimed after hearing what Pickle's assistant just said.

It was the following morning, and Sonic was back to being Sonny while Chip was looking around at the shelves of books that lined the walls of the professor's study.

"Yes, but I haven't been able to reach him," the assistant replied, who was a young man in his early twenties with light-brown hair and a British accent. "I'm frankly worried, Miles. I hope he wasn't flying back when the continents were split apart."

"Don't worry," Sonny said cheerfully. "We'll find the professor in no time!"

###

Several hours later, Sonny and the others arrived in the Savannah Citadel on the continent of Mazuri just as night fell. While Miles and Chip walked around asking the local people if they had seen Professor Pickle, Werehog Sonic searched the area from the rooftops and in the alleyways. Eventually, he came across a hidden door with Eggman's face plastered on it and several robots standing guard.

After he defeated every single one of the robots, Sonic went back to alert Miles and Chip by waving his stretchable arms from a rooftop. They immediately noticed and followed him into the secret door, which was deserted of robots inside. Careful to avoid the security cameras, Sonic and the others came into a circular chamber where an elderly man wearing a brown suit with thick eyebrows and a large nose was seated on a floating chair inside a glass pod examining a tray of sandwiches meticulously.

"Professor Pickle!" Miles said as he transformed into Tails and flew up to him.

"Can you believe this?" the elderly man said holding up one of the sandwiches from the tray. He also had a British accent. "My captor expects me to eat these ghastly things he calls sandwiches and has the nerve to say he's being generous."

"Um, Professor, it's nice to see that you're in high spirits as usual, but we've got to get out of here," Tails said as he found a switch near the top of the pod and pressed it.

Immediately, the glass dissipated and the platform Professor Pickle was standing on lowered itself automatically.

"Oh, yes, quite right," Pickle responded, stepping off the platform. Then he looked toward a large circular safe nearby and pointed at it. "But we must obtain the Gaia Manuscripts from that safe over there before we go. They are the only clue we have to explain the strange phenomenas that have been occurring around the world lately."

" **Leave it to me, Professor!** " Sonic said, and stretched his clawed hand toward the safe which broke apart in one swipe.

While Chip flew over to retrieve the papyrus-like scrolls from inside the safe, Pickle couldn't stop staring at him and Sonic.

"They're my friends, Professor," Tails said as he changed back into Miles. "I'll explain everything on the way back to Spagonia."

###

"I see," Professor Pickle said as he, Miles, Sonic, and Chip were having tea after they had returned to his study in Spagonia University. "Based on what Sonic has told me about his encounter with Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman as he seems to call himself, and the strange things that have been occurring since the continents of Mobius were abruptly separated from the planet's core I think the Gaia Manuscripts can provide an explanation for both events."

"They can?" Miles said with surprise.

" **Well, let** **'** **s hear it already!** " Sonic responded anxiously.

"According to the Gaia Manuscripts, the planet was broken up thousands of years ago by a powerful entity known as Dark Gaia who resides in Mobius' core," Pickle said pointing to an image on the scroll showing the world being split by serpent-like creature. Then he pointed to a photograph of the mosaic Knuckles found in Mystic Ruins. "However, this mosaic in Mystic Ruins seems to indicate that the world had been destroyed and reformed even earlier than that."

"So how are we supposed to fix the world now?" Miles asked.

Pickle took another sip from his cup and said, "Well, I would've said nothing at first, but Eggman has awoken Dark Gaia prematurely from his slumber which means we've still got a chance to set things right."

" **What about my condition? Does it involve Dark Gaia?** " Sonic wondered.

"Partially, though your current form is most likely due to being exposed to the Scepter of Darkness' energy which I'm told is very corruptive and powerful," Pickle answered. "The reason you only transform at night, however, is because of Dark Gaia's power which is most potent during the nighttime and transforms weak-minded individuals into monsters like the ones you fought in Apotos."

" **Then the reason I haven** **'** **t lost my sanity when I transform is because Sonny has a strong-will.** "

"Yes, the bond between you and Sonny seems to be keeping you from being completely corrupted by the Scepter of Darkness' energy and Dark Gaia's power at the same time which is quite extraordinary if you think about it."

"Well, now that we know what's going on can you tell us how we can piece the world back together and change Sonic back to his normal state?" Miles said as he refilled his cup followed by Chip.

"The only way to bring the world's continents back together is to restore the Chaos Emeralds' power at each of the seven temples located around the world," Pickle responded. "Once this is done, Dark Gaia will be sealed back into the planet's core once again and the positive energy from the Chaos Emeralds will vanquish the negative energy that's inside you, Sonic."

" **Sounds like a plan,** " Sonic said as he got up from the chair he was sitting in. " **So where are the temples specifically located?** "

"I happened to find one in Mazuri, before Eggman kidnapped me, but I'll need to translate the Gaia Manuscripts in order to figure out where the rest are."

" **You do that, while Miles and I will head to Mazuri. Do you want to come along, Chip?** "

"Sure," Chip replied as he finished his tea in one gulp. "Maybe I'll find some clues as to who I am there."

" **That** **'** **s the spirit!** " Sonic said giving Chip a thumbs-up.

To be continued…


	72. Chapter 72: Glow

Chapter 72: Glow

As soon as Sonny Miles and Chip reached the Savannah Citadel, Eggman's robots had rounded up the Mazuri people who had dark skin and wore minimal clothing with Eggman gloating in his Egg Mobile.

"Now, fellow villagers," Eggman said. "If you would be so kind as to tell me where the Gaia Temple is, I won't have to harm you."

"We will never tell you!" shouted a young boy who picked up a stone that was lying on the ground and threw it at Dr. Eggman.

The stone hit Dr. Eggman right on the jaw, which made him flinch and press a button. Then just as the robots were about to fire their lasers, Sonny jumped off the _Tornado-1_ and decimated every single one of the robots by landing on top of their heads. He then stood between the Mazurians and Dr. Eggman whose jaw had dropped.

"Sonny?" Eggman said hesitantly. "Shouldn't you be dead along with Sonic?"

"Nope, we're still kicking and your butt's going to be the first thing to go," Sonny retorted.

"Still witty as ever, I see," Eggman grumbled as he flew off. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a temple to find!"

"Hey, he's getting away!" Chip exclaimed, using his pixie wings to fly after Eggman's retreating Egg Mobile.

"Wait up, Chip!" Sonny said as he ran after the flying boy.

###

After catching up, Chip and Sonny pursued Dr. Eggman's Egg Mobile across a wooden bridge that ran across the treetops that were scattered about the Savannah Citadel. Though Sonny was pushing his limits in terms of speed, he eventually did catch up to Eggman.

"Hey, Eggman!" Sonny cried.

In response, Eggman looked down at Sonny and his eyebrows arched upward. "How did you manage to catch up to me? Only Sonic can do that!"

"Several hours of running and a steady diet of chili-dogs," Sonny responded.

"Now you're starting to irritate me," Eggman said as he turned his Egg Mobile around to face Sonny while a giant robotic beetle flew down at attached itself to the Egg Mobile's lower-half. "Let's see if you can match up to my new Egg Beetle robot, which I originally programmed to fight Sonic!"

As Eggman moved the Egg Beetle forward with its large pincers snapping, Sonny managed to ram into the Egg Beetle's center in between snaps. This in turn caused the Egg Beetle to go flying down the bridge before it corrected itself to attack Sonny once more. But Sonny rammed it again and again until the Egg Beetle exploded. While Dr. Eggman flew away in the Egg Mobile, Sonny and Chip noticed a large stone structure next to an enormous tree below them.

"Do you think it could be the Gaia Temple Professor Pickle found?" Chip wondered.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Sonny said as he leaped into the air and spun rapidly toward the structure.

Chip flew after him, and soon they were both at the structure's entrance. Inside was a long stone hallway lit by green crystals. Then at the end, Sonny and Chip came to a circular chamber with a pedestal in front of a stone carving that was illuminated by torches that produced green fire.

"Hm, I wonder what this is for," Chip said as he walked up to the pedestal and inspected it.

Then something glowed from underneath Chip's jacket, and the pedestal suddenly elevated itself while the carvings along the shaft were lit up.

"What did you do?" Sonny asked walking up to Chip.

"I don't know, but something's glowing on me," Chip said as he looked underneath his T-shirt and found a spherical green stone that was attached to his neck by a white choker.

"How long have you been wearing that thing?" Sonny asked looking at the necklace in confusion.

"I'm not sure," Chip responded.

"Weird," Sonny said as he looked back at the pedestal.

Then Sonny took out one of the Chaos Emeralds, which he still carried inside the pockets of his shorts, looking down at it. After staring at the obvious hole in the pedestal and then back at the Chaos Emerald, Sonny walked up to the pedestal and placed the Chaos Emerald on top of the hole. It was a perfect fit as the Chaos Emerald suddenly glowed brightly and levitated in the air. There was a brief flash of light and the Chaos Emerald had gone from gray to green.

"Hey, the Emerald changed color," Chip noticed.

"So this was a Gaia Temple, after all," Sonny remarked.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble violently. Sonny and Chip immediately ran back to the temple's entrance, and once they got there the tremors stopped immediately.

"What was that about?" Chip asked.

"Sonny!" Miles shouted, running toward Chip and Sonny. "I just got some satellite footage from G. U. N. and the continent of Mazuri just moved back into place on top of Mobius' core. Did you find the Gaia Temple?"

"Right behind us," Sonny said thumbing the temple's entrance. "We just placed a Chaos Emerald on this pedestal-shaped thing inside, and the Chaos Emerald's power was immediately restored."

"Excellent!" Miles smiled. "Let's head back to Spagonia and see if the professor had translated more of the Gaia Manuscripts."

"Can't you just call him?" Sonny asked.

"He doesn't have a cellphone," Miles said sheepishly.

"Wow, he's that old-fashioned," Sonny said sarcastically.

###

As night fell over Spagonia, Miles and Chip watched as Sonny reluctantly transformed into Werehog Sonic in Professor Pickle's study.

"Is it always painful when you transform?" Miles asked.

" **Yeah, but I** **'** **m kinda getting used to it,** " Sonic replied.

"Can I look now?" Professor Pickle said with his hands over his eyes.

"Yes, Professor, the transformation's over," Miles said.

As Pickle removed his hands, he said, "While you three were gone I managed to translate more of the Gaia Manuscripts and I believe there is a temple somewhere here in Spagonia."

"Really?" Chip exclaimed.

" **Where is it?** " Sonic asked.

In response, Pickle frowned. "I wish I could tell you, but the Manuscripts aren't very specific about the exact location of the temples so you'll have to look around."

"Then let's get going, guys," Chip said as he eagerly went to the door.

Outside, Miles gave Chip a special camera that could supposedly exorcise the Dark Gaian monsters that possessed weak-minded individuals at night before taking off. While Chip tested the camera by taking pictures of random people on the street, Sonic clung to rooftops looking for any signs of a stone temple. A familiar-sounding shriek suddenly caught his attention, and Sonic immediately went to its source. He came across a cobblestone street where several people were randomly dancing with Professor Pickle's assistant among them. Sonic also noticed Amelia, who was trying to get the assistant to let go of her hand but he wouldn't.

Just as Sonic was about to attack, Chip suddenly appeared down the street and flashed the camera at the crowd. The people suddenly collapsed onto the floor as demonic-looking creatures emerged from them. Amelia tried to get away, but the assistant still held her hand, and so she fainted. Before the creatures could approach her, Sonic leaped down and tore the creatures to shreds.

"Whoa, this camera really does work," Chip remarked.

" **Nice work, Chip!** " Sonic said giving Chip a thumbs-up before he released Amelia from the assistant's grip and picked her up.

As the other people started to stir including the assistant, Sonic took off toward the university with Amelia in his arms and Chip following behind.

"Who's the girl?" Chip asked as he caught up to Sonic.

" **She** **'** **s my host** **'** **s girlfriend,** " Sonic answered.

"Oh, she's kind of cute," Chip remarked.

Then Amelia's eyelids fluttered open, causing Sonic to stop in his tracks. He then placed Amelia on the ground and leaped onto a nearby rooftop just as she noticed him. Surprised, Chip took off after Sonic before briefly waving at Amelia.

"Was that…Sonic?" Amelia wondered as she stood awkwardly in the middle of the street and rubbed her head.

"Amelia!" Miles exclaimed as he came down the street towards her. "Are you okay?"

In response, Amelia scuffed. "I'm fine, but you've got a lot of explaining to do, Miles. I was just attacked by a bunch of creepy monsters, and then saved by some creature that looked like Sonic."

"Yeah, I'd like to but I gotta run so if you want to know what's going on talk to Professor Pickle," Miles said as he went off in the same direction Sonic went.

Amelia growled in frustration and marched her way up to Professor Pickle's study who regarded her with surprise.

"Can I help you, Miss?" Pickle asked.

"Do you know Sonny or his alter-ego Sonic?" Amelia asked irritably.

"Both, actually," Pickle responded.

"Then I want you to tell me what has happened to them and why the streets are suddenly crawling with monsters."

"And why do you wish to know?"

"Because I'm his girlfriend," Amelia said as she transformed into Amy out of anger.

To be continued…


	73. Chapter 73: Corruption

Chapter 73: Corruption

Once Miles had caught up to Sonic and Chip, he told them that Professor Pickle had translated more of the Gaia Manuscripts and they needed to go to the continent of Chun-Nan where a Gaia Temple might be located in the village of Dragon Road.

" **What about the temple here in Spagonia?** " Sonic asked.

"Pickle will look into the matter, but for now let's head to Chun-Nan," Miles responded, and went off to where he parked the _Tornado-1_ with Sonic and Chip following behind.

###

After a whole day's worth of flying, Sonny Chip and Miles arrived in Dragon Road at night. While Sonny changed into Werehog Sonic, Chip asked the locals if they knew where a Gaia Temple might be located. The majority of them said the village elder Zonshen would probably know but none of them had seen him all day. Concerned, Chip went back to where Miles and Sonic were and told them the news.

" **Sounds like something Eggman would do considering what he did to Professor Pickle,** " Sonic said.

"Maybe if we find this Zonshen-guy, he might reward us with the location of the Gaia Temple," Chip suggested.

" **Well I don't see why he wouldn't if we asked him,** " Sonic responded as he stretched his arm onto a nearby roof and swung onto it. He looked back down at Miles and asked, " **Aren't you coming?** "

"No, I'd rather stay here with the plane," Miles responded. "But good luck finding that temple."

"Will do!" Chip said and followed a stone path that ran through the village with Sonic following nearby.

The stone path eventually led to a bamboo forest with stone lamps and small pools full of sleeping fish. It was also here that Sonic and Chip encountered more monsters like the ones they fought in Apotos and Spagonia which Sonic managed to easily defeat. Eventually, the two came to a circular courtyard that stood before a pair of stone doors that were carved into the side of an imposing jagged cliff-face. In the courtyard's center was an elderly Chun-Nanese man who was unconscious and lying next to a large green orb that glowed brightly.

Sonic and Chip leaped down from the stone path they were on and were just about to approach the man when a large shadow suddenly passed over them. Sonic looked up in time to dodge the sharp talons of a large bird that flew overhead. It was purple in color with a fiery aura surrounding its elongated neck, enormous wings, and peacock-like tail-feathers. After letting out an angry cry, the bird circled back toward Sonic and Chip diving straight at them. Fortunately, Sonic managed to dodge the bird's attack while Chip flew over to pick up the elderly man. While Chip carried the man out of the courtyard, Sonic confronted the bird with brute force. With the aid of special water-jugs located on four platforms around the courtyard's center, Sonic was able to quench the bird's flames temporarily before beating it senselessly and roaring loudly as the bird toppled over behind him.

" **That was awesome!** " Sonic said triumphantly. " **What did you think, Chip?** "

"I think you overdid it," Chip said and flew over toward the glowing orb.

" **Chip, I wouldn't touch that if I were—**

As Chip picked up the orb, it flashed brightly for a second. Then to Chip's amazement, the stone doors near the courtyard slowly opened. Intrigued, Chip flew into the entrance while Sonic followed after him. Inside, they found a similar structure to the one at the temple in Mazuri with the crystal-lit hallway, the green fires, and the pedestal. Chip then flew up to the pedestal, and the green stone on his neck instantly glowed. Once the pedestal was elevated, Sonic placed a Chaos Emerald on top of it and then he and Chip watched as the Emerald returned to its usual red color.

Once this happened, the ground started to shake forcing Sonic and Chip to flee the temple. As the doors closed behind them, Sonic saw that the bird he defeated was wide-awake and perched calmly on one of the platforms. It no longer had the dark-purple coloring and was actually golden with light purple and green feathers. The elderly man was awake too and he was observing the bird when he noticed Sonic and Chip approaching.

"You must be the ones who opened the Gaia Temple and brought the Phoenix to his senses," the man said as he bowed to them. "I humbly thank you for what you've done."

" **Uh, you wouldn't happen to know Zonshen, would you?** " Sonic asked.

"I am Zonshen," the man answered. "What can I do for you?"

"We were hoping you might show us where the Gaia Temple is, but I guess we found it ourselves," Chip said sheepishly.

" **You were unconscious when we got here, and then that bird attacked us,** " Sonic said pointing to the bird which shrank its head in embarrassment.

"The Phoenix? He was only doing his job as the Guardian of the Temple, but he went completely berserk after the world's continents were split apart," Zonshen answered. "I figured Dark Gaia's power was corrupting him, so I journeyed here hoping to open the temple with the Dragon Jade but the Phoenix attacked me as soon as I arrived."

"Is this giant orb-thing the Dragon Jade?" Chip said as he held up the glowing orb.

Zonshen adjusted his glasses and said, "Yes, that's it, and I suppose one of you had a Chaos Emerald on hand?"

" **I did,** " Sonic answered. " **How do you know about the Chaos Emeralds?** "

Once more, Zonshen adjusted his glasses. "I am well-acquainted with Professor Pickle of Spagonia University, who was one of many scholars and scientists that were hired by G. U. N. to study the Chaos Emeralds after they were discovered on South Island."

"Why do you keep adjusting your glasses?" Chip asked.

"My eyesight is not as good as it used to be, even with these glasses on," Zonshen answered. "So I can't see you both clearly."

" _That would explain why he wasn't terrified upon seeing you,_ " Chip whispered to Sonic.

" _ **Probably**_ **,** " Sonic whispered back. Then Sonic looked up at the Phoenix and said, " **I'm glad that you're back to normal and all, but I still feel bad for beating you up earlier. No hard feelings, right?** "

The Phoenix shook his head in response and flew up to a perch that was located at the top of the cliff-face.

To be continued…


	74. Chapter 74: Condition

Chapter 74: Condition

Back in Spagonia, Sonny and Miles met up with Professor Pickle in his study where Amelia was seated as well. For a few minutes, Sonny and Amelia stared awkwardly at each other. Then Sonny said, "Amelia, I—

"You don't have to explain," Amelia interrupted. "Professor Pickle told me everything about your condition."

"Oh, I see." Sonny scratched the back of his neck briefly before asking, "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"I was, but now I understand," Amelia said as she got up from her chair and held Sonny's hands in hers. "But in the future, don't hide anything from me."

Sonny nodded. "I won't."

Then as Sonny and Amelia shared a quick kiss, Miles walked over to Pickle. "Any luck on finding the Spagonian temple?"

"I did some more research, and I believe I have found it," Pickle responded. "It is located along the aqueducts on the outskirts of the city."

"All right, then let's go," Sonny said as he turned towards the entrance to the study.

"Do you want me to come along?" Amelia said holding Sonny's hand tightly.

"I would feel better if you stay here and help Pickle translate more of the Gaia Manuscripts," Sonny responded.

"That's what I've been doing since you were gone," replied Amelia. "I don't want to just stand back and let you endanger yourself."

"He'll be fine, Amelia," Miles said assuredly. "Even in Werehog form, he can kick serious butt."

"Werehog? You mean that thing I saw last night?" Amelia pondered.

"Basically," Sonny said as he gave Amelia a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."

While Amelia instinctively placed her hand on the cheek that was kissed, Sonny and the others left through the study entrance.

###

Once Sonny had reached the aqueducts, he was immediately attacked by a giant robot shaped like a Devil ray that was piloted by three smaller robots inside. Figuring it was Eggman's creation, Sonny immediately rammed himself into the robot as he dodged the lasers and gunfire that came from it. Like the Egg Beetle, the Devil ray robot went flying through the air and bounced on the aqueducts several times before it exploded completely. After making sure nobody was around, Sonny and Chip walked up to the Gaia Temple entrance which was carved into a seaside cliff at the end of the aqueduct they were standing on.

Inside, they found the structure to be identical to the temples they found in Mazuri and Chun-Nan. After Chip's necklace glowed to make the pedestal rise, Sonny placed the next Chaos Emerald on it. The Emerald glowed brightly and changed to blue just as the ground started to shake once more. Sonny and Chip immediately got out of the temple as it closed behind them and then met up with Miles who showed them satellite footage of the Spagonia continent sinking back to its original place on top of the planet's core.

"This is so cool to watch," Chip said wide-eyed.

"Yeah, it's amazing that G. U. N.'s still able to send you these considering all the crazy stuff that's happening in the world right now," Sonny said.

"They've definitely got their hands full, but they figure sending me these images will then encourage you to keep going," Miles responded.

"Sounds like something The Commander would do," replied Sonny. "By the way, do you know if Angel Island's been affected?"

"According to Chuck, the Master Emerald's power was able to keep the islands around Angel Island from drifting along with the other continents," Miles answered.

"Well, that's good," Sonny said after a sigh of relief. "So what's Chuck doing?"

"He's helping the Chaotix Detectives who are helping G. U. N. fight off Dark Gaia monsters in Empire City."

"Doesn't it seem strange that Dark Gaia hasn't been trying to attain his true form since his premature release?" Chip asked.

"Maybe he's taking it slow," Sonny said. "Anyway, let's find out where the next Gaia Temple is at Professor Pickle's place."

###

According to the Professor, the next Gaia Temple was in Cool Edge which lay off the coast of Holoska. It was a northern continent that mostly consisted of ice and snow. There was a small tribal village nearby, but Miles decided to park the _Tornado-1_ a little ways from it as night had fallen and Sonny had transformed into Werehog Sonic.

"It's a good thing you grow fur when you're in that form," Chip said through his teeth. "I'm freezing over here."

" **It's not that much fur,** " Sonic responded. " **Only my wrists and ears are covered.** "

"I did bring along these winter-coats for us to wear," Miles said passing out one of each to Sonic and Chip. "Hopefully, they'll keep you warm."

" **Thanks, Miles,** " Sonic said as he put on his which was blue and lined with white fur.

"I really appreciate it," Chip said putting on his chestnut brown one.

"I'll stay here to make sure the _Tornado-1_ doesn't get attacked or destroyed," Miles said wearing his yellow one. "Good luck finding the temple."

After giving Miles a thumbs-up, Sonic took off across the snowy tundra on all-fours while Chip flew close behind.

"Why are you running on all-fours?" Chip asked.

" **It makes me go faster in this form!** " Sonic replied.

Chip thought about it for a moment and then said, "Yeah, I guess you can't run very fast upright with all that upper-body weight to deal with which would explain why you ran so clumsily back in Apotos."

" **Exactly.** "

###

Several hours later, Chip and Sonic managed to find an open cave in the ice that led them into a circular chamber with a frozen thing in the center. In a matter of seconds, the ice broke apart to reveal a moving dragon head that was dark magenta with light-blue highlights. There were green lumps located along its neck which Sonic noticed as he ran towards the dragon which roared at him in response. While Chip cheered Sonic from the sidelines, the dragon attacked Sonic with its ice breath and extra heads which popped out along the circumference of the platform it emerged from.

Using canisters of cold air to freeze the heads, Sonic was able to pummel the green lumps so hard that the dragon eventually keeled over. Once this was done, the entrance to the Gaia Temple was revealed which Sonic and Chip stepped into. This time, after the pedestal was raised, the Chaos Emerald Sonic placed turned cyan-colored and the ground shook a little. Once Sonic and Chip reached the village, they were not only greeted by Miles but also the villagers.

"We thank you kind strangers for vanquishing the Dark Moray which has been attacking our village since our land was lifted from the world's center," said the eldest of the villagers. "To show our appreciation, we were wondering if you could spend the night in our humble village."

While Sonic retreated into the shadows, Chip said, "That's very kind of you, but we've got to go."

"This is true, Elder," Miles said turning to the elderly villager. "We need to restore the Chaos Emeralds at the remaining Gaia Temples before Dark Gaia regains his full power."

"I see," the elder said thoughtfully. "Well, we will send prayers to you on your journey."

"Thanks, Elder," Miles replied and went off to join Sonic and Chip who were already heading for the _Tornado-1_.

To be continued…


	75. Chapter 75: Surprise

**Now I'm going to include a scene here that isn't in the original game, but thought it would be fun to add. Hope you like it!**

Chapter 75: Surprise

On their way to the continent of Shamar where the next Gaia Temple was supposedly located, Werehog Sonic and Chip decided to drop themselves off in Empire City as the _Tornado-1_ flew over it. Miles, Amelia, and Professor Pickle watched as the two fell with anxious looks. They were relieved a few seconds later when they saw Sonic and Chip running off after they landed.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for them to go off like that?" Amelia asked as she took Sonic's place on the platform with the gun mounted on top. "What if the G. U. N. soldiers think Sonic's a Dark Gaia monster and start shooting at him?"

"Well, it's too late to turn back now," Professor Pickle said, looking back at the city that was fading quickly behind them. "Therefore, we must press on to my research facility in Shamar."

"If it will make you feel any better, I'll head back to Empire City after we drop you and the Professor off to see if Sonic and Chip are okay," Miles offered.

Amelia grumbled. "Fine."

###

On the tops of the skyscrapers that took up the majority of Empire City, Sonic fought dozens of Dark Gaia monsters while Chip was constantly taking pictures of people possessed by the monsters on the streets allowing the G. U. N. soldiers to fire at the monsters and not the civilians. But then a light-blue aura suddenly enveloped Sonic and froze him in place.

"I've got you now, beast!" shouted a teenage boy with long spiky white hair and yellow eyes who floated down from the sky.

"Sonic!" Before Chip could try to stop the boy with the white hair, he was grabbed from behind and had a gun pointed at his head.

"Don't move, kid, or I'll blow your brains out," said the owner of the gun, who was also a teenage boy but his hair was black with red highlights.

"Chill out, Shawn," said a girl with medium purple hair tied up in a ponytail who was approaching the black-haired boy after ascending a nearby fire-escape. "We're supposed to be rescuing the kid, after all."

"Yeah, quit being so trigger-happy," said another girl with ash-blonde hair who followed after the purple-haired girl.

A few seconds later, a third teenage boy appeared only this one had medium red hair. "Where's the monster? Let me—

The red-haired teenage boy stared at Sonic for a long time and then he said, "Sonic?"

" **Chuck,** " Sonic said despite feeling crushed by the aura. " **What an unexpected surprise.** "

"You know this monster?" the purple-haired girl asked.

"Yeah, he's the guy I told you about who has saved the world multiple times before," Chuck replied. "Though I'm not sure why he looks like that."

" **Just tell your floating friend to let me go, and then I'll explain,** " Sonic offered.

"Wait," Shawn interjected. "How do we know you're the real Sonic and not a Dark Gaian monster pretending to be him?"

"It's also possible that Sonic is possessed by a Dark Gaia monster," the ash-blonde girl suggested.

"He's neither one of those!" Chip exclaimed as he struggled to ready his camera. "I'll prove it by taking a picture of him with this camera, which can expel Dark Gaia monsters from people."

After Chip got out of Shawn's grip and took a picture of Sonic, nothing happened.

"Then I guess that means you're a Dark Gaia monster," Shawn said as he pointed his gun right at Sonic's head.

"Don't shoot him," the purple-haired girl said getting in Shawn's line of fire. "Let's hear what the beast has to say for himself."

"Yeah, do what Blake says," Chuck added.

"I know it's been a long night, Shawn, but this creature seems more rational than the others we've encountered," the ash-blonde girl said putting a hand on Shawn's shoulder. "Besides, the kid seems familiar with the creature which is highly unusual and definitely worth looking into _without_ the need for violence."

"Rouge," Shawn said and then he sighed. "Release the monster, Silva, but don't hesitate to freeze him again if he makes any threatening movements."

In response, the white-haired boy lowered his hands which dissipated the light-blue aura that held Sonic in place.

###

After Sonic had finished explaining his story to Shawn and the others, he aided them with cleaning up the rest of Empire City from the monsters that plagued it. Then just before the sun rose, the _Tornado-1_ appeared. It landed on a building near the river that ran through half of Empire City where Sonic and Chip met up with him.

"So did you enjoy your little adventure in Empire City?" Miles asked.

" **It was…interesting,** " Sonic said. " **Now let's get to Shamar and find the next temple.** "

"Roger!" Miles replied as Sonic and Chip climbed aboard.

Though Sonny had the chance to fire at incoming Eggman robots in the sky during the day, he was unfortunately forced to change back into Werehog Sonic as the sun fell over the Shamar village where Professor Pickle's research facility was located. After avoiding the streets, Sonic and Chip finally made it to the Professor's office where they were greeted by Amelia. She glared at both of them and said nothing as Professor Pickle explained how to access Shamar's Gaia Temple.

"You will also have to face the Dark Guardian, which the Shamareans describe as a terrible monster that guards the Temple at night," Professor Pickle added.

" **Doesn't sound any more threatening than the Dark Phoenix or the Dark Moray,** " Sonic said bumping his fists together. " **In other words, this'll be a piece of cake!** "

"Then let's get going," Chip said and ran out of the tent followed by Sonic.

###

When they got to the Gaia Temple entrance, Sonic and Chip were greeted by a human-sized gremlin with sharp teeth, clawed hands, and he swung a giant hammer around violently.

" **This is it? Just a larger version of the Dark Gaia monsters I've been pummeling this whole time?** " Sonic said in disbelief.

The gremlin responded by charging at Sonic with his hammer positioned for a blow. But Sonic in turn responded by punching the gremlin so hard that he fell on his face. While the gremlin was recovering, Sonic followed Pickle's instructions and pushed a large square-shaped stone across the pavement all the way up to an altar which in turn caused the rocks that were blocking the entrance to crumble away. This also seemed to cause a great deal of pain for the gremlin as well, who recuperated and charged at Sonic again.

Once Sonic punched the gremlin a third time and cleared away all the rocks, he and Chip entered the temple together. Inside, Chip used the stone on his necklace to elevate the pedestal and then Sonic stretched his arm to place the third-to-last Chaos Emerald on top. A few seconds later, the Chaos Emerald was glowing yellow which was then followed by the ground shaking.

To be continued…


	76. Chapter 76: Friend

Chapter 76: Friend

"Now that Shamar's continent has been restored to its proper place on the planet's core along with the United Federation's, we can now concentrate on the last two Gaia Temples," Professor Pickle said proudly the following morning.

"Do you know where they are?" Sonny asked.

"According to the Gaia Manuscripts, there's a temple on the island continent of Adabat which is south from here," Pickle answered. "But the last temple's location is a complete mystery."

"I see," Sonny responded. "While you and Amelia concentrate on finding the last temple, Chip and I will head to Adabat."

"Sounds like a plan," Chip said, though he sounded less enthusiastic than before.

"What's wrong, Chip?" Amelia said as she noticed Chip's concerned frown.

"Oh, it's nothing," Chip said assuredly.

###

After reaching Adabat and defeating Eggman's Egg Lancer, which was an upgraded version of the Egg Beetle robot, Sonny and Chip arrived at the Gaia Temple which consisted of stone columns and stairs. While Sonny was eager to go inside, Chip hesitated.

"Is something bothering you?" Sonic said looking back at Chip. "You haven't been yourself today."

"I haven't?" Chip responded, then he looked down. "Guess I didn't notice."

"Talk to me, buddy. What's on your mind?"

"It's just that…while we've been traveling the world and restoring Temples, my memories have remained blank," Chip said on the verge of tears. "What if I never find out who I am? What'll I do then?"

"Take it easy," Sonny said as he hugged Chip. "As soon as we restore this Temple and the one after, we'll concentrate on getting your memories back."

"Thanks, Sonny," Chip said looking up. "I don't where I'd be if I hadn't met you."

Then with that, Chip flew enthusiastically into the Gaia Temple while Sonny followed behind. Though the interior was still the same, the mural on the wall was different. It showed a creature with long tendrils fighting against a small animal with pixie wings who was surrounded by a halo of light. Intrigued, Chip flew up to get a closer look at the mural while Sonny placed the next Chaos Emerald on top of the pedestal and watched the Emerald change to purple.

A few seconds later, the mural lit up and Chip was sucked into it. On the other side, Chip found himself floating through space with a white glowing object floating next to him as a galaxy shone in the distance. As Chip got closer to the white object, he started to hear a voice that sounded remarkably like himself.

" _I've been waiting for you,_ " the glowing object said.

"Who are you and where am I?" Chip asked.

" _I am you, Chip, and this is your mind_."

"My mind? How can I have something this vast in my head when I don't even know who I am?"

" _All will be answered, and then you must prepare yourself for the battle that is to come._ "

"Huh?"

Instead of answering, the white glowing object flew right into the stone around Chip's neck and became absorbed. Once this was done, Chip felt a flood of memories and feelings he had never felt before rushing into him as the space around him collapsed. He was awoken by Sonny shaking his arm.

"Are you all right?" Sonny asked.

"What happened?" Chip said as he rubbed the back of his head. He was lying on a pier back in the Adabat village with the sun going down across the ocean.

"You went up to touch the mural above the pedestal, and then you passed out midair," Sonny answered. "Fortunately, I managed to catch you and got outside just as the ground started shaking."

"So all that stuff I saw was…in my head."

"What are you talking about?"

"I remember everything, Sonny: who I am, where I came from, what I was before—

"Then let's hear it!" Sonny said enthusiastically.

In turn, Chip stood up and walked to the edge of the pier. "My name…is Light Gaia. Like Dark Gaia, I'm a spirit of the planet who emerges after hundreds of years have passed. However, there was one time where I was awoken prematurely after a foolish scientist had awakened Dark Gaia from the center of Mobius' core. As a result, I didn't know who I was. Then I met someone whom I became close friends with. We traveled around the world together and even managed to stop the foolish scientist and Dark Gaia from destroying the world but at the cost of my physical form being lost.

"Now, the reincarnation of that foolish scientist has awakened Dark Gaia once more before he and I are supposed to emerge. Because of that, I lost my memories and Dark Gaia didn't achieve his true form immediately. I also know that you, Sonny, are inhabited by the spirit of my friend from long ago. The reason for your condition is that when the world was really destroyed by Dark Gaia, though it was provoked by a machine possessed by darkness, I not only reformed the world but I also allowed some of the world's souls to be reborn into new bodies."

Sonny said nothing for a long time as he calmly waited for the sun to go down. Then after he transformed into Werehog Sonic, he said, " **So the reason I inhabit the body of a teenage boy whom I share my powers with…is because of you.** "

"I know it was a selfish act, since most spirits tend to fade away after the world is destroyed, but you were my best friend and I couldn't stand the thought of you being gone forever. So I brought you back into the newly-formed planet of Mobius in a new body along with your friends which Dark Gaia balanced out by bringing back your enemies. I'm sorry if I burdened you, your friends, and their human hosts."

Then Chip jumped off the pier and started to fly away but Sonic stretched out his arm and dragged him back.

" **You didn't burden us,** " Sonic said as he placed Chip down. " **Sonny says this is the greatest thing that's ever happened to him, because his life is never boring and he got to meet a lot of great people through our adventures.** "

"Well, that's good to hear," Chip said cracking a smile. "But you do realize you're not human, right?"

" **The ears and tail tipped me off that I wasn't human a long time ago, though I still don't remember what I was before inhabiting this body.** "

"I can answer that one. You're a—

"Sonic!" Miles cried out as he ran toward Sonic and Chip. "You're not going to believe this. Professor Pickle found the last Gaia Temple, and it's on the continent that is now known as Eggmanland."

"Eggmanland?" Chip said with surprise.

" **How could Eggman have taken over an entire continent in a period of one week?** " Sonic asked.

Miles adjusted his glasses and then said, "Since G. U. N. has its hands full dealing with Dark Gaian monsters, Eggman's been left unattended. He has somehow managed to harness Dark Gaia's energy by drawing all the scattered fragments of Dark Gaia to him and is using it as his main energy source. Now Professor Pickle believes that Eggman knew the last Gaia Temple was there and so he built his empire on top to make it difficult for us to find."

" **Then how did Pickle figure it out?** "

"Because the land that the Gaia Manuscripts describe fits the location of Eggmanland," Miles answered.

" **Then let's get to Eggmanland,** " Sonic said following Miles to the _Tornado-1_ along with Chip. " **I can't wait to see the look on his face when I tear his latest creation to shreds.** "

To be continued…


	77. Chapter 77: Balance

Chapter 77: Balance

After an intense aerial battle over a crimson red sky, Sonny and Chip jumped out of the _Tornado-1_ and found themselves at the entrance to Eggmanland which resembled a massive theme-park.

"Wow, this place is crazy," Chip said in awe.

"I'm not sure why he went with this design, but then again I've never understood Eggman's tastes," Sonny said. "And neither has Sonic."

"I sense the Gaia Temple nearby," Chip said flying toward the tunnel-like opening that started from the mouth of a large Eggman head that stood behind a gold-colored statue of him. "Let's get going!"

"Okay, but we need to stick together," Sonny said running after Chip. "We don't know what kinds of traps Eggman has in store for us."

###

After a few hours of searching through robot-filled tunnels and skating along rail-lines throughout Eggmanland, Sonny eventually stopped as he abruptly turned into Werehog Sonic.

" **What time is it?** " Sonic asked.

"It's 5:00 PM, right around the time the sun usually goes down," Chip said looking up at a nearby clock.

" **Really? Between the thick clouds and being underground, I guess I must've lost track,** " Sonic said.

"But that shouldn't matter. Now you can pummel the robots to your hearts' content."

" **You're right, Chip. Now let's get cracking!** "

Then after that, Sonic barricaded through incoming hordes of robots as he and Chip went deeper underground. They even came across larger versions of Dark Gaia monsters, but they were no match for Sonic. Eventually, Sonic and Chip reached the Gaia Temple and placed the last Chaos Emerald inside.

"This should restore the planet back to normal and seal Dark Gaia away for sure," Chip said as the Emerald glowed silver. "But then I would have to be sealed as well."

" **Why?** " Sonic said looking down at Chip as the ground started to shake.

After he and Sonic got out of the Temple, Chip answered, "Because I wasn't meant to be released into the world this soon, and neither was Dark Gaia. Therefore, both of us must be sealed away until we're supposed to awaken."

" **I see. Well, it was nice seeing you again after a long absence.** "

"Same here. Just remember that…no matter what happens or what forms we take, we'll always be friends." Then Chip closed his eyes. But then after a few seconds, he looked down at himself. "That's weird. My physical form should be fading by now."

" **And why haven't I turned back to normal yet?** "

An abrupt laughter caught Sonic and Chip's attention. This was then followed by a colossal robot appearing in the room with a drill-shaped arm and a mini-gun shaped one. Floating near the robot was the Egg Mobile with Dr. Eggman laughing maniacally inside it.

" **What's so funny, Eggman?!** " Sonic snapped.

Eggman stopped laughing and said, "You're too late, Sonic the Hedgehog! While you may have restored the Chaos Emeralds and placed all the world's continents back together, Dark Gaia is nearly up to his full power thanks to my machinery and the Scepter of Darkness' power. Now it's time to fix my mistake and finish you off for good!"

As soon as the Egg Mobile attached itself, the robot used its drill-arm to pierce a giant hole in the floor. The unsteadiness of the ground caused Sonic and Chip to fall down a deep circular gorge that extended downward for miles with seemingly no end. Fortunately, Sonic managed to grab Chip and then he used his arms to stretch between the falling debris till they both landed on a large chunk of the floor that was rapidly falling where the robot was waiting for them.

"Egg Dragoon, attack!" Eggman commanded.

The robot then proceeded to drill another hole into the floor, which sent Chip and Sonic plummeting once more. Meanwhile, the Egg Dragoon sprouted wings made from pure energy which it used to float down toward the bottom of the gorge and pierce a hole through that. Once this was done, the ground opened up to reveal a large magma chamber below. Fortunately, Sonic and Chip landed on a circular piece of rock that remained of the gorge's floor while the Egg Dragoon fired at them with the mini-gun.

Sonic managed to dodge the bullets while Chip flew off to the sidelines, and then Sonic charged at the robot's weaker lower-half. He swung on the robot's legs in order to tear them off, but Eggman responded by detaching the drill-arm and sent it flying in Sonic's direction. However, Sonic managed to leap upward before the drill pierced through the robot's mid-drift. Once Sonic got up to the robot's chest, he saw a panic-stricken Eggman underneath a protective shield of glass.

" **You're dead now!** " Sonic said and grabbed the sides of the Egg Mobile with his stretchable arms.

"Please, Sonic, don't kill me!" Eggman pleaded. "We're rivals to the bitter end! You can't live without me and I can't do without you!"

" **That maybe so, but turning me into this monster and endangering the lives of billions in order to awaken a being that should never have been awoken is unforgivable!** "

Then Sonic used his strength to detach the Egg Mobile from the Egg Dragoon and toss it off into the depths of the magma chamber. As the Egg Dragoon plummeted, Sonic quickly jumped onto the chunk of rock that still remained where Chip was waiting for him just as it hit the magma. Though the bottom-half immediately started to melt, the rest of the rock remained steady.

" **Are you all right, Chip?** " Sonic asked.

"I'm fine, but we've got to get out of here," Chip said urgently.

The magma erupted in front of them as purple tendrils snaked upwards. What followed afterwards was an enormous serpent with black scales, purple eyes that glowed eerily, clawed hands, and horns with teeth-marks on them. As it roared loudly, the Egg Mobile appeared alongside it.

"That's right, Dark Gaia, crush that hedgehog and his puny friend!" Eggman commanded.

However, the serpent merely used one of its tendrils to flick the Egg Mobile away with Eggman's cries following it. Then Dark Gaia concentrated its tendrils on Sonic and Chip, but Sonic managed to dodge all of them. A brief gleam flickered in the serpent's eyes, which Sonic noticed before he knelt on the ground in pain.

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Chip asked.

" **I don't know…something's…trying to get…out of me,** " Sonic said between groans.

Then Sonic let out a painful scream as a dark-purple energy leapt from his chest and was absorbed into Dark Gaia's open mouth. As Sonic changed back into Sonny, a green serpentine eye appeared on Dark Gaia's forehead and the teeth-marks on the horns opened up revealing them to be extra mouths as serpent eyes appeared on top of them. Concerned, Chip tried to stir Sonny but he was too weak to stand. As Dark Gaia's tendrils attached once more, Chip's necklace glowed and it enveloped him and Sonny in a protective green shield.

"Seven lights of Mobius rekindled!" Chip commanded. "Awaken, and gather here to me!"

As the green shield released a ring of light from it, the seven Gaia Temples suddenly appeared in the magma chamber. They then floated toward one another and formed a single colossal structure that resembled a giant made of stone with glowing green eyes and a circular chest-plate. When Sonny woke up, he was standing on the edge of the colossal giant's chest-plate and held onto one of the columns as it flew toward Dark Gaia who retaliated by throwing flaming rocks. Fortunately, the giant managed to dodge the flaming rocks and then once it got close enough it punched Dark Gaia in the face with fists outlined in green flames. But Dark Gaia quickly recovered and held the giant within its massive clawed hands.

" _Now, Sonny!_ " Chip's voice said from the giant's head. " _Hit the forehead eye, which is Dark Gaia's weak spot!_ "

"All right then!" Sonny said as he transformed into Sonic, who no longer had the claws or fangs and his spiky hair was back to its usual length without the white highlights. "Let's get rolling!"

Sonic then raced along the giant's temple-covered body till he reached a ramp that allowed him to leap toward Dark Gaia's forehead eye. He then punched and kicked it several times till Dark Gaia released his grip allowing the colossal giant to retreat. This was repeated several more times before Dark Gaia seemed to faint. But a few minutes later, Dark Gaia reared his head a released a purple cloud of energy up through the hole where Sonic and Chip came from.

"What's happening?" Sonic asked urgently.

" _Dark Gaia's covering the world in darkness!_ " Chip answered. " _And look!_ "

Sonic looked back at Dark Gaia, who had now sprouted two sets of extra arms, three eyes on each horn as the jaws opened wide, and one large green eye replaced the two purple eyes from before.

" _We're too late!_ " Chip cried. " _Dark Gaia has now regained his true form. We'll never beat him now!_ "

"No way!" Sonic responded. "We've still got the Chaos Emeralds!"

As soon as he spoke, the seven Chaos Emeralds flew from their respective temples and circled around Sonic. He then transformed into Super Sonic and flew straight toward Dark Gaia with Chip flying the colossal giant behind him. Unfortunately, Dark Gaia blocked them by creating a giant shield around him that was being powered by the tendrils that now resembled blue serpents.

" _I'll keep Dark Gaia distracted,_ " Chip said as he forced the colossal giant to penetrate the shield. " _You just worry about taking down the shield!_ "

"Right!" Sonic said, and flew to each of the serpents' heads which were sticking out from the shield.

After giving each head a good beating, the shield finally collapsed. Then before Chip could retreat, Dark Gaia once again immobilized the colossal giant in its arms. So Sonic rammed into each of the monster's hands, forcing it to let go, and then Dark Gaia released a beam of purple energy from its mouth which Chip blocked. Once this was done, Sonic flew straight into Dark Gaia's main eye and out the other side. The monster roared in pain as it dissolved into the magma, which Sonic watched before passing out from exhaustion.

###

By the time Sonic awoke, he found himself lying on the same patch of dirt he crash-landed into on Windmill Isle. Sonic then looked down at himself, and smiled once he realized he was back to normal. Expecting to find Chip, he looked toward the rock where the kid had hidden behind but instead found Chip's necklace lying near him. Picking it up, Sonic noticed Chip's reflection inside the stone which was then followed by a voice in his head.

" _Remember what I told you earlier, Sonic,_ " Chip's voice said with a hint of sadness. " _No matter what happens or what forms we take, we will always be friends._ "

"Thanks Chip, for everything," Sonic said as he placed the necklace on his wrist.

As the sun rose over the sea of Apotos, which was restored to its proper place when Spagonia's temple was accessed, Sonic smiled and took off running along the coast.

"Sonic!" Tails shouted as the _Tornado-1_ appeared from out of the sky and flew alongside. "I see you're back to normal!"

"I know and it's wonderful!" Sonic replied and leaped onto the biplane's top-wing.

"Where's Chip?" Tails asked.

"Oh, he had somewhere else to be," Sonic responded.

"Will we ever see him again?"

"Probably not."

"Well that's too bad. Professor Pickle and Amelia are planning a celebration in Shamar to congratulate you on saving the world. You won't believe the kinds of crazy things that happened while you were away."

"Like what?"

"The sky turning dark, the Gaia Temples vanishing in the blink of an eye, and Eggmanland being completely destroyed when the continent shifted back into place."

"Sounds pretty crazy."

To be continued…


	78. Chapter 78: Help

**This next story-arc is going to be based on** _ **Sonic and the Secret Rings**_ **, which I'm not personally a big fan of but I'm going to throw a twist at the end that makes more sense than the actual game so I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 78: Help

It had been a few weeks since the world's continents were restored, and there were no signs of Dr. Eggman or his host Robotnik anywhere. While G. U. N. believed that he was buried underneath the continent that had been temporarily renamed Eggmanland, Sonny and the others figured he was still out there planning his next scheme. But in the meantime, Rouge Baxter started attending school again and she brought Blake, Silva, and Shawn with her.

"Ugh, I'm so bored," Sonic's apparition complained to Sonny during class Friday morning.

" _Me too_ ," Sonny whispered while he pretended to listen to the teacher who was talking at the head of the classroom.

"I'd rather be demolishing robots than listening to this guy. What's he talking about again?"

" _A Thousand and One Arabian Nights_."

"Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class, Sonny?" the teacher abruptly asked, glaring at Sonny.

"No, sir," Sonny said shaking his head.

"Then I would suggest that you stop talking to yourself and pay attention," the teacher responded.

While the teacher continued, Sonic scratched his head. "I don't know why, but this _Arabian Nights_ thing sounds familiar."

" _Could it be something related to your past?_ "

"Sonny!" the teacher yelled.

"He was talking to me," said a girl who sat next to Sonny. She had light-tan skin with pink hair tied up in a curled ponytail, and she was wearing a strapless magenta tank-top underneath a lilac-colored jacket with matching sweatpants. "I was filling him in on some of the things you were saying."

"Well, that's very kind of you, Shahra, but I would prefer if you filled him in _after_ class if you don't mind," the teacher said.

"Sorry, sir," the tan girl responded and kept her head down for the rest of the class.

###

After the lunch bell rang, Sonny was about to leave when he noticed something shining on Shahra's desk. He walked over and picked up a gold-colored ring with two intricate swirls. Figuring it belonged to Shahra, Sonny looked around but she was no longer in the classroom. So he went out the door and caught sight of her meeting up with a tall muscular guy with close-shaven hair that was dyed red. He wore a purple undershirt that made the crimson tribal tattoos on his arms visible with white sweatpants and brown sandals. Sonny then tried to approach Shahra but the tall guy pushed him into a nearby locker.

"Stay away from my girl, you rat!" the tall guy growled. Then he turned to Shahra and dragged her away from Sonny as they both descended the stairs.

"Are you all right, Sonny?" Miles asked as he came over.

"What is that guy's problem?" Sonny wondered as he backed off from the locker.

"That's Raza Jinn. He's apparently Shahra's cousin and doesn't like any other guy coming near her."

"I can see that, but why did he call Shahra his 'girl'?"

"This maybe a rumor, but I think they're engaged to be married when they graduate."

"Gross. How can you marry your own cousin?"

"It's actually legal in certain countries, Sonny, and even in some states within the United Federation."

"Okay, but that doesn't give Raza the right to push people around."

"No, but everyone's too afraid to go against him and so all the guys in the school try to avoid Shahra if possible. What did you follow her, anyway?"

"I just wanted to return the ring that she dropped," Sonny said as he showed the ring to Miles.

"Maybe it would be best just to give the ring to her on Monday."

"Yeah, you're right. I'd prefer my ribs to stay intact."

###

By the time Monday rolled around, Sonny had unfortunately caught a cold and so he had to stay at the apartment he and Miles shared. While Amelia called him throughout the day to make sure he was doing okay, Sonny spent most of his time lying on the couch and watching TV while his homework lay untouched on the coffee table in front of him. Miles noticed this when he got back from school and said, "Have you done any homework?"

"No," Sonny replied in a nasally voice.

Miles groaned. "Just because you're sick doesn't mean you shouldn't do homework. At least read _A Thousand and One Arabian Nights_. The teacher's expecting us to read it all by this Friday."

"But that's insane," Sonny whined picking up a thick brown book with a picture on the cover and the title "A Thousand and One Arabian Nights" in gold lettering. "How am I supposed to read this entire thing by Friday?"

"By starting now," Miles said, turning off the TV. "And I'm going to make sure that you do."

So for the rest of the evening, Miles watched Sonny read _A Thousand and One Arabian Nights_ and berate him when he wasn't. But as time wore on, Miles got too tired and went to bed. Sonny didn't notice as he was already asleep with the book over his face to fool Miles. By the time he woke up, it was four in the morning.

"Oh, man, I can't believe how late it is," Sonny said and as he got up from the couch he used the coffee table for support.

In the process, he touched Shahra's ring which suddenly glowed. Surprised, Sonny watched as Shahra herself emerged from the ring and floated in the air above him. She was now wearing a blue-teardrop gemstone on her forehead and neck, with gold bracelets on her wrists and arms, and pink slippers with silk laces around the ankles. The rest of her outfit was pretty much the same since Sonny saw her last, only she didn't have the jacket, her pants were silken, and she had a purple sash around her waist.

"This has got to be a dream," Sonny muttered to himself.

Shahra stared at Sonny with a confused expression on her face. "Are you Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"Uh, no," Sonny replied, trying to hide his sudden anxiety. "I'm Sonny Hedge. We go to Ancient Literature together. You defended me last Friday when I was…talking to myself."

"Oh, I'm not that Shahra," Shahra said, turning her head sideways to show off her pointy ears. "I am Shahra, the Genie of the Ring."

"Genie? Like from _A Thousand and One Arabian Nights_?" Sonny asked, picking up the book which was still open. He then noticed that the pages were blank, which wasn't the case before. Turning the page, he saw the words vanishing like raindrops on a hot pavement.

"I see it's already begun," Shahra said looking over Sonny's shoulder midair.

Surprised by her sudden appearance next to him, Sonny leaned back. "What do you mean?"

"There is an evil spirit who is absorbing all the stories from _A Thousand and One Arabian Nights_ in order to invade your world," Shahra answered. "His name is Erazor Djinn, and Sonic is the only one who can stop him."

"So what am I supposed to do about it?" Sonny asked.

"Well if I can't find Sonic, then you'll have to do," Shahra replied, and absorbed herself back into the ring which floated as her voice came from it. "Now, place the ring around your finger."

Sonny did as Shahra said to his amazement, the gold ring fit perfectly around his index finger.

"Good, now rub the ring to summon me," said the ring in Shahra's voice.

Sonny did this and Shahra appeared before Sonny with her head bowed. "With you as my master, I shall do my best to grant any wish your heart desires so long as it's simple."

In response, Sonny sneezed. "Okay, how bout summoning a few tissues for me?"

To Sonny's amazement, several wads of tissues appeared on the coffee table with a wave of Shahra's hand after Sonny rubbed the ring. Sonny then reached out and grabbed a handful. After blowing his nose a few times, he smiled at Shahra.

"Thanks," Sonny said. "I needed that."

"You're welcome, Master," Shahra said bowing her head.

"You don't have to call me 'Master'," Sonny replied. "Sonny will do."

"All right then, Sonny, will you help me defeat Erazor Djinn in Sonic's place?"

"Sure. So where can I find this Erazor Djinn guy?"

"Inside the book, of course."

"Then take me to the world of _A Thousand and One Arabian Nights_ ," Sonny said as he rubbed the ring a second time.

At once, Shahra made an oriental rug appear in the room and it floated midair. While she sat down on it, Sonny hesitated. But Shahra's gesturing made Sonny get on as well, then the two of them shrunk down to the size of mice and they rode the floating rug all the way down into the open book.

To be continued…


	79. Chapter 79: Promise

Chapter 79: Promise

Once they were inside the book, Shahra and Sonny got off the flying rug which vanished into thin air. Apart from a path made from paper, the rest of the area was a white void with swirling pages. The two made their way along the path hastily, but then they were stopped by a purple aura that sprouted three circular patterns that fell into the page Shahra and Sonny were standing on. Then from this circular pattern emerged a tall bulky man with purple skin and close-shaven red hair with a ponytail that curved like a crescent moon behind his head. His clothes consisted of a dark brown cloak, brown leather cuffs, white pants that were similar to Shahra's, and gold-colored shoes that curled on the ends. Once he saw Sonny, the man took out a sword that looked similar to a barber's razor and charged forward. Fortunately, Sonny managed to dodge the sword before it could cut him and jumped back.

"Whoa, take it easy," Sonny said getting in a defensive position. "I'm not sure what I did to piss you off, but I don't like guys who try to attack me with a sword."

"That's him, Sonny," Shahra said anxiously. "The one who's responsible for erasing the stories from _A Thousand and One Arabian Nights_."

"Erazor Djinn?" Sonny said looking dubiously at the man who stood before him. "No way."

"What is the meaning of this, Shahra?" the man said angrily. "I sent you to find the seven World Rings, not bring a boy who reminds me of a certain rat I know into this world."

"But I already told you, Erazor Djinn," Shahra said defensively. "The World Rings do not exist, and even if they did I wouldn't know where to find them."

"Then if you refuse to obey me, you must be punished!" Erazor Djinn pointed his index finger at Shahra, and from it emerged a flaming arrow.

"Look out!" Sonny exclaimed, and got in the way as the arrow flew straight towards Shahra.

"Sonny!" Shahra said as the arrow hit Sonny's chest, though it didn't go in all the way.

"Well, this should be interesting," Erazor Djinn smirked as he vanished into the circular pattern that appeared before. "Bring me the seven World Rings before the arrow of flame is extinguished, or the boy will die. In the meantime, I shall be taking the life of King Shahryar."

"King Shahryar?" Sonny wondered as he noticed that his shirt wasn't burning where the arrow had pierced his chest. "Who's he?"

"He's the main character of the overarching story that runs through all the tales in _A Thousand and One Arabian Nights_ and the one who supposedly wrote down the stories to begin with."

"Then we've got to reach him before Erazor Djinn does," Sonny said, and took off at incredible speeds down the paper-laden path which ended at a white light.

Emerging from the other side, Sonny and Shahra found themselves in a sand-covered oasis that consisted of pillars, stone ruins, and ghost-like creatures with mean-looking faces.

"Those are Erazor Djinn's underlings," Shahra said as the ghost-like creatures flew towards them. "We might be too late."

"Not on my watch," Sonny replied, and took off across the oasis while avoiding the ghost-like creatures till he came into an empty palace.

A nearby vase suddenly rattled, causing Sonny to walk up to it. Then the vase tipped over and broke into several fragments. A frightened-looking Dr. Eggman lay sprawled out on the ground wearing silken robes and a turban decorated with a single feather and ornamental stone.

"Eggman!" Sonny said with surprise, and then he frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"How dare you call me 'Eggman'!" the Eggman-lookalike exclaimed irritably. "I am King Shahryar, the ruler of this land!"

"I'm not buying it for one second, Eggman," Sonny said as he grabbed the Eggman-lookalike by the collar of his robe. "Just what are you up to this time?"

"Unhand me, you spiky-haired urchin!" the Eggman-lookalike said pushing Sonny away from him. "Guards!"

"Sonny, stop!" Shahra said as got between Sonny and the Eggman-lookalike. "This really is King Shahryar, the man we're supposed to save."

"But why does he look like – never mind." Sonny paused, and looked at the Eggman-lookalike. "So where are your guards, King Shahryar?"

"Oh, that's right," King Shahryar said smacking himself on the forehead for a brief second. "When those ghost-like creatures showed up, everyone ran away including my guards."

"Then how did you end up inside that vase?" Sonny asked.

"That was for my own protection, boy, because what followed after the ghost-like creatures was a—

Before King Shahryar could finish, a pterodactyl-like creature flew into the palace and picked him off the ground. Sonny and Shahra looked up and realized that the one riding the pterodactyl was none other than Erazor Djinn himself. He looked over his shoulder and grinned maliciously before the creature flew out. Sonny pursued the pterodactyl outside while Shahra went back into the ring. While he was following the pterodactyl, he heard a familiar cry and ran toward the source of the sound. In front of a wall near the palace, Sonny saw Miles being cornered by two of the ghost-like creatures and he was wearing a white turban, a red vest, and a yellow sleeveless shirt. Sonny immediately flew through the air and demolished the two ghost-like creatures which turned into smoke and floating words.

"Are you okay, Miles?" Sonny said, approaching the surprised teenage boy.

The boy whom Sonny presumed to be Miles looked at him quizzically. "Miles? My name is Ali-Baba."

"Come on, Miles, quit joking around," Sonny responded skeptically. "First Eggman thinks he's a king, and now you're claiming to be someone else. Is there some kind of inside joke I'm not a part of?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," the Miles lookalike said sheepishly. "But I'm glad you saved me from those monsters. So if you need my help, let me know."

"Okay, then how about examining this flaming arrow?" Sonny said pointing to the flame that was embedded in his chest.

"We have no time for that, Sonny," Shahra said appearing from the ring around Sonny's finger. "King Shahryar's life is in danger, and we must rescue him."

"Oh, right," Sonny replied, and followed Shahra in the direction that the pterodactyl had flown. He turned back towards Ali-Baba and said, "We'll call you later."

###

As Shahra and Sonny came to the end of the oasis, they came up to a circular bed of sand. There, a creature suddenly emerged from the sand's depths. It was a large purple scorpion with a single red eye on its body and two matching ones near its pincers.

"Well, there's something you don't see every day," Sonny remarked.

"That monster must've been summoned by Erazor Djinn to keep us from following him," Shahra said nervously. "At this rate, King Shahryar will—

"Don't worry, Shahra, I'll defeat this guy in no time," Sonny said, and ran off to confront the Sand Scorpion as it took off firing lasers at him from its eyes.

Fortunately, Sonny managed to dodge the lasers and ram himself into the eyes in order to hit the scorpion's middle eye. After a few rounds, the Sand Scorpion's rear end opened to reveal yet another eye protected by a two rows of sharp fangs. Once Sonny hit this eye a few times, the creature dissipated into purple dust. At the center of the sand bed where the scorpion had emerged from lay a gold-colored ring that had the same circumference as a basketball.

"Is that what I think it is?" Sonny said as he walked toward the ring with Shahra flying next to him.

"Yes, it's a World Ring," Shahra confirmed, and tried to pick the ring up but her hand slipped right through it. "But I can't seem to pick it up."

"Then let me try," Sonny said, and picked up the ring which was surprisingly light.

Then Sonny was suddenly zapped by an electrical pulse that came from the ring, causing him to yell out in surprise.

Once the electrical pulse died down, Sonny looked down at the ring with a confused frown. "What was that about?"

"I'm not sure," Shahra said. "Everything I know about the World Rings comes from the latest chapter in the book that states, 'When darkness descends upon the Arabian Nights the legendary blue hedgehog from another world shall come. When the seven rings that control the worlds are gathered, the portal between the worlds shall open. But the life of the collector of the rings shall be offered up in sacrifice as the key for that control.'."

Sonny's brow narrowed further as he gripped the World Ring tightly. "So by collecting the rings for Erazor Djinn, I'm basically offering myself up as a sacrifice for him to use to invade my world?"

"I'm afraid so," Shahra said turning away from Sonny.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Shahra?" Sonny asked.

"By the time I remembered, you were already hit by Erazor Djinn's arrow. If it hadn't been for me, we wouldn't be in this situation right now."

But just before Shahra started crying, Sonny forced her to look at him. "Hey, don't blame yourself. There's nothing we can do to change the past. Right now, we need to find the World Rings whether we like it or not. Then once we do, we'll find a way to stop Erazor Djinn. I promise."

After Shahra smiled, Sonny took off across the sand-dunes as she followed.

To be continued…


	80. Chapter 80: Half

**80** **th** **Chapter! Thank you so much for supporting my fanfiction up till now!**

Chapter 80: Half

Once they crossed the desert oasis, Sonny found himself in a tropical jungle that was occupied by dinosaurs. Amazed, Sonny took in everything as he ran through thickets of tropical plants, rode on a log through twisting rivers, and leaped across various cliffs till he caught sight of the pterodactyl with King Shahryar dangling from its mouth.

"Hey, you! Urchin!" King Shahryar yelled from above. "Get me down from here!"

As Sonny stopped at the edge of a cliff, King Shahryar's robe tore from the pterodactyl's mouth causing him to fall toward the swamp below. However, Sonny managed to leap into the air and catch Shahryar mid-fall before landing on a rocky outcropping. Holding him by the neck of his robe, Sonny let go of Shahryar causing him to collapse onto the ground.

"Why must you be so rude?" Shahryar demanded as he got up. "I'm the king, and therefore you must treat me as such!"

"But I just saved your life, King Shahryar," Sonny said sarcastically. "So don't I deserve at least a little gratitude from you?"

"Sonny, look!" Shahra exclaimed, pointing at the pterodactyl as it flew toward a large structure that loomed across the swamp. "The creature seems to be heading toward that castle, a relic from an ancient kingdom."

"Then let's go check it out," Sonny said enthusiastically.

###

On their way to the castle, Sonny and Shahra came to another rocky outcropping that was covered in grass. Here, the two found a large ring nestled in the grassy weeds. But unlike the first ring which was gold-colored, this one was emerald-green with gold lettering.

"This must be another one of the World Rings," Sonny said as he picked the green ring up only to get zapped by the same electrical pulse that the first one gave him. "But I still don't get why they give off this weird energy when I touch them."

"That's because you're feeling the power that comes directly from the rings," Shahra answered. "And it's this same energy that caused all the creatures in this landscape including the one we followed to behave strangely."

"How do you know that?" Sonny asked.

"Oh, I…must've remembered it from the time I came here with Sonic."

"So Sonic's been to this world before?"

"Yes, but not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't explain. My memories are still hazy."

"I see." Sonny placed the green ring next to the gold one in his sweatpants pocket. "So if you're a Genie, can't you just make Erazor Djinn's flaming arrow disappear from my chest if I wished it?"

In response, Shahra looked away. "I'm sorry, Sonny, but I can't."

Sonny's eyes widened. "Why not?"

"Because my magic is not as strong as Erazor Djinn's."

"Well don't feel bad about it. We'll find a way to remove the arrow somehow."

Upon reaching the castle's entrance, Sonny and Shahra found themselves confronted by many of Erazor Djinn's underlings. After defeating them, they made their way into the castle which was an endless maze of tunnels and machinery guarded by mechanical giants. But the further they went down, the hotter the temperature got until Sonny and Shahra found themselves in the lowest levels of the castle, which consisted of pools filled with liquid metal and burning fire. It was also here that they found Erazor Djinn who was levitating in the air and chanting to himself.

"What's he doing here?" Sonny asked, trying not to get Erazor Djinn's attention.

"He's summoning more spirits to help him destroy what's left of the book," Shahra said.

Then once Erazor Djinn was done chanting, a giant mechanical golem with glowing eyes emerged from the pool of liquid metal below and roared loudly.

"What the heck is that?" Sonny exclaimed.

"That's an Ifrit, a djinn who can control fire," Shahra responded.

"Indeed," Erazor Djinn said, floating toward Sonny and Shahra. "I have already wiped out half of the book's stories, so the Ifrit will burn the rest. Have you gathered the seven rings yet, rat boy?"

"Stop calling me a rat!" Sonny yelled. "And no, I have not collected all seven rings."

"Then you'd better hurry up," Erazor Djinn said, pointing to Sonny's chest. "Only half of your life-force remains."

Sonny looked down at his chest and saw that the flame which had been burning brightly before was now less bright than before. Then as Erazor Djinn vanished, Sonny tried to pursue him but was blocked by the Ifrit. So Sonny attempted to fight the Ifrit, but Shahra held him back.

"You can't fight the Ifrit now, Sonny!" Shahra said. "Your life is tied to the flame, so fighting the Ifrit would be like fighting fire with fire."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Sonny asked urgently.

"Find another way to defeat the Ifrit, and I know just the person to help us," Shahra said.

"Fine, then take us to him," Sonny said as he quickly rubbed the ring on his finger.

"Your wish is my command," Shahra said and used her magic to transport her and Sonny out of the castle just as the Ifrit was about to smash them.

###

Back in the Sand Oasis, Shahra looked around for Ali-Baba while Sonny helped her. After they found him, the two told him how they got there and what happened since they last spoke. He listened intensely and seemed to be in deep thought while Shahra spoke and Sonny supported her claims.

"Hmm, I'm not sure if I could help," Ali-Baba said after a long pause. "But my friend Sinbad might know something. He's a worldwide traveler and explorer."

"So where is he now?" asked Sonny.

"Well, last I heard, he was fighting off some pirates when he got taken by the Rukh which is basically a living fossil shaped like a bird."

"Do you have any ideas about where this fossil bird-thing could be located?"

"I think the Rukh flocks someplace out in the skies to the west."

"Okay, thanks," Sonny said and turned to Shahra while he rubbed the ring again. "Hey, Shahra, will using that magic carpet of yours cost any wishes?"

"Only one, Sonny, but I can grant you as many wishes as you like as long as they're simple," Shahra said and made the oriental rug appear in front of them.

"All right, then let's find that Rukh and save Sinbad!" Sonny said as he and Ali-Baba jumped onto the carpet along with Shahra and then they took off into the skies above.

To be continued…


	81. Chapter 81: Deal

Chapter 81: Deal

Once they were high enough into the air, Sonny, Ali-Baba, and Shahra came across a group of flying sting-rays with entire buildings lodged on their backs.

"These are the Levitated Ruins," Shahra said. "Like the castle in Dinosaur Jungle, they are also the remains of ancient kingdom that existed long ago."

"So what are the creatures that are carrying those structures?" Sonny asked.

"They are Rukhs," Ali-Baba answered.

"What?" Sonny exclaimed. "I thought you said they were living bird fossils."

"Well, I didn't say they were birds," Ali-Baba responded sheepishly.

###

After several minutes of searching, Sonny and Ali-Baba found a World Ring that was dark blue in color and then they eventually came to a balcony on one of the Rukhs with a large metal cage at the end of it. Inside stood a person who looked to be about Sonny's age with medium-length red hair underneath a white Keffiyeh adorned by a silver band with red jewels. He also wore silver braces on his wrists, a white vest-like shirt tied by a purple sash around his waist with matching white pants and curved red shoes with gold plating.

"Hey, Chuck," Sonny said as he and Ali-Baba approached the cage. "How'd you get here?"

"Who are you talking about?" the Chuck-lookalike snapped. "I am Sinbad, Sailor of the Seven Seas! Adventurer of Adventurers!"

"Whoa, take it easy, Sinbad," Ali-Baba said. "Sonny just mistook you for someone else."

"Ali-Baba?" the Chuck-lookalike who called himself Sinbad said with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping the blue-haired kid Sonny and his Genie friend find you," Ali-Baba replied as Shahra appeared out of Sonny's ring.

"Would you be willing to share your worldly wisdom with us, Great Adventurer?" Shahra said pleadingly.

Behind the cage, Sinbad blushed slightly. "Look, Miss, I'd like to but I'm kind of stuck in here."

Shahra and Ali-Baba examined Sinbad's cage and noticed four circular rings pulsating with green energy.

"This must be the work of Erazor Djinn," Shahra said after a pause. "If we can break the spell, then we can undo the lock!"

"I don't see why we have to help him when he could just tell us his worldly wisdom here," Sonny said folding his arms.

"If you help me, then I'll help you out," Sinbad replied.

Sonny raised an eyebrow. "Is that a deal?"

"You can take it or leave it," Sinbad said folding his arms.

"He's the only chance you've got at this point," Ali-Baba said.

"Fine," Sonny said as he sighed. "Come on, Shahra, let's find the key to this cage."

While Ali-Baba stayed with Sinbad, Sonny and Shahra searched the Levitated Ruins till they came across a large mirror with a lever-switch. After Sonny pulled the switch, the mirror rotated till it shone on the cage and broke one of the four green rings. Once they did this three more times, the door on Sinbad's cage broke allowing him to step out of the cage.

"Okay, so here's the situation," Sonny said once he and Shahra met up with Sinbad and Ali-Baba. "We're currently looking for these magic rings to stop an evil guy called Erazor Djinn, and he summoned this fire genie-thing to burn the rest of your world to ashes."

"Erazor Djinn?" Sinbad responded. "Does he happen to have purple skin and levitate a lot?"

"Yeah, that's him," Sonny answered.

"I thought so. He was leading the pirates who attacked my ship. Now did you try fighting this fire genie?"

"I was going to, but Shahra stopped me and sent us to Ali-Baba and then he told us you might know something."

Sinbad was silent for a few minutes and then he said, "Well, if this creature's made of fire then the obvious solution would be to douse it with water."

"Seriously? Just water?" Sonny said skeptically.

"If you have a better idea in mind, I would like to hear it," Sinbad replied sarcastically.

"You know for a so-called world-wide traveler, you're really not that smart."

"Oh, yeah, and what makes you think you know more than I do?"

As the two boys marched towards each other, Ali-Baba came between them.

"Hey, guys, stop it!" Ali-Baba said as he pushed Sonny and Sinbad away from each other. "This isn't going to help us stop Erazor Djinn."

"Ali-Baba's right," Shahra added. "We must concentrate on stopping Erazor Djinn, not fighting over our differences."

"Okay, then how do you propose finding enough water to douse a fire genie that's taller than a house?" Sonny asked Sinbad.

"I was getting to that," Sinbad growled as he pushed Ali-Baba aside. "Before I was taken by the Rukh, I had this mystical item called the Water Blue Ring which allowed me to control storms. Unfortunately, the pirates who attacked my ship took it from me after they locked me in the cage. If we could somehow get that ring back, we could use its power to summon enough water to put out the fire genie."

"Hmm," Sonny mused and then he held out his hand towards Sinbad. "Okay, you can count me and Shahra in."

As Sinbad took Sonny's hand, Shahra and Ali-Baba sighed with relief.

###

Once they caught up to the pirates near a rocky cove, Sonny and Shahra cautiously approached the ship while Sinbad and Ali-Baba followed behind. Once onboard, Sonny noticed that all the crew members seemed to be gathering on the deck. Then before Sonny or the others could attack them, the crew members merged together into a single monstrosity that looked like a clam with crab-like feet, an ugly face, and four horns protruding from its head.

"That's Captain Bemoth!" Sinbad exclaimed. "One of the nastiest pirates of all!"

"He doesn't look so tough to me," Sonny said, and charged at the clam-like monster.

In response, Captain Bemoth teleported himself away from the ship via water and onto the rocky cove. Sonny promptly followed him, and when he managed to catch up Sonny grabbed one of the horns. After giving it several tugs, the horn broke off and Captain Bemoth howled in pain. But as soon as he recovered, Captain Bemoth took off.

"Those horns must be the source of his power," Sonny said to himself while dodging jets of water that came from Captain Bemoth's hands. "And I wouldn't be surprised if he has the Water Blue Ring."

So Sonny caught up to Captain Bemoth and tugged off the creature's other three horns with intervals of running in between. After the fourth horn, Captain Bemoth fainted and fell into the ocean along the cliff he and Sonny were running along. Sonny and Shahra looked down and to their amazement a light-blue ring with silver carvings floated up from the water and into Sonny's hands.

Unlike the previous World Rings, this one merely vibrated in Sonny's hands. "So this is the Water Blue Ring."

"It's obviously one of the seven World Rings," Shahra said. "We must get back to the castle in the Dinosaur Jungle swamp and defeat the Ifrit before it gets stronger."

"Right," Sonny responded and ran back to where Sinbad and Ali-Baba were waiting for him.

To be continued…


	82. Chapter 82: Appreciation

Chapter 82: Appreciation

Once they reached the castle in Dinosaur Jungle, Sonny and Shahra made their way back to where the Ifrit was located. A thick smoke clouded their path and once they were inside the fiery chamber, the Ifrit was still in its pool of liquid metal but the flames coming from its eyes were stronger and its arms and torso were ignited by several fires.

"Hey, genie, sorry to keep you waiting," Sonny said as he held up the Water Blue Ring. "Oh Ring of Water, bring forth a mighty storm!"

The ring glowed in response, and a large raincloud appeared over the Ifrit's head. Then as a heavy rain poured down, the liquid metal pool sizzled and the Ifrit roared as the flames in its eyes and along its body diminished. Sonny then used this opportunity to leap onto the Ifrit's head and smash the glowing object on its head. While the Ifrit cried out in pain, Sonny jumped back as the golem-like creature lifted itself from the pool which started to solidify as more water poured into it. With only its upper-torso and arms remaining, the Ifrit crawled along the pool's circumference and breathed fire from its furnace-like mouth. Fortunately, Sonny manage to dodge the flames and hit the glowing object on the Ifrit's head two more times which caused the creature to blow up and sink into the liquid metal.

"Whew," Sonny said breathlessly. "Did we win?"

An object floated from the liquid metal pool and fell at Sonny's feet. It was about the size of a small ball made of metal with orange veins that seemed to glow. Sonny picked up as Shahra examined it.

"Do you know what this is?" Sonny asked.

"I don't know, but I hear something like a faint heartbeat," Shahra said listening closely. Then her eyes widened. "Wait, the beating just got faster."

"Then this must be a bomb of some kind!" Sonny exclaimed. "We got to get out of here and toss the object outside."

So Sonny and Shahra made their way out of the castle as quick as Sonny's feet could run. Then once they were out in the open, Ali-Baba and Sinbad watched in confusion as Sonny kicked the round object out into the swamp. An explosion soon followed, and then another object floated back to Sonny. It was another large ring, only this one was red with gold carvings. Once Sonny touched it, a fiery heat radiated from the ring.

"Ow!" Sonny said as he flinched.

"Did it burn you?" Shahra asked.

"A little," Sonny replied.

"Hey, Sonny," Ali-Baba said as he and Sinbad approached. "What was that thing you kicked into the swamp?"

"Just something the fire genie left behind that turned into this after it exploded," Sonny said as he showed the ring to Ali-Baba and Sinbad.

"A World Ring," Ali-Baba exclaimed.

"It must've been inside the fire genie the entire time," Sinbad responded.

"Yeah, and probably the source of the fire genie's power," Sonny said as he placed the ring into the same pocket where the other rings were. "So where do we go from here, Shahra?"

Shahra was silent in thought for a moment, and then she said, "Let's meet up with King Solomon. He was the one who sealed away the spirits Erazor Djinn has been summoning long ago. Maybe he could tell us more about the World Rings."

"Sounds good to me," Sonny said excitedly. Then he turned to Ali-Baba and Sinbad saying, "You guys should probably go look for King Shahryar. I accidentally left him on the other side of the swamp with no means of getting back to the Sand Oasis."

"No problem," Ali-Baba responded and used the lily-pads as platforms to get to the outcropping Sonny left Shahryar on.

"Fine," Sinbad grumbled as he followed Ali-Baba's lead. "Just don't damage my ring, will you?"

"Sure thing," Sonny replied, then he and Shahra left the Dinosaur Jungle on the magic carpet.

###

"Whoa, this place gives me the creeps," Sonny said once he and Shahra arrived at the entrance to a trench made of solid bone with small white flakes falling from an overcast sky.

"This is Skeleton Dome, the home of King Solomon," Shahra responded.

"He sure has an odd taste in decoration," Sonny said as he took off down the trench.

After traversing through the trench, Sonny traveled through a bone-filled forest and into a palace that was also made from bone.

"Where do you think Solomon is?" Sonny asked as he looked around.

"Probably in the tombs," Shahra answered.

"How fitting," Sonny replied sarcastically as he made his way down to the lower levels of the palace where dungeons were filled with piles of gold coins and long-winding corridors never seemed to end.

Eventually, Sonny came into an empty chamber with a long stone walkway leading up to an imposing throne made of red velvet. Upon closer inspection, the throne was occupied by a large skull wearing a purple hat adorned by a golden crown and a necklace of frills around its neck. Then just as Sonny was about to touch it, the skull's eyes glowed.

"Don't you dare think about touching me, young man!" the skull barked as it floated off the seat of the throne.

"K-King Solomon?" Sonny said in disbelief.

"Yes, what do you want?" replied the talking skull.

"Did the Erazor Djinn do this to you?" Shahra abruptly asked.

"Unfortunately, he did," responded King Solomon. "He resurrected the legendary 40 Thieves to attack me and scatter my bones everywhere. So if you two could somehow find the rest of my body and take care of the 40 Thieves, I would very much appreciate it."

"No problem," Sonny said, and then he and Shahra left the chamber.

###

After they had gathered Solomon's bones and defeated the 40 Thieves, Sonny and Shahra made their way back to the chamber where King Solomon was waiting for them. He then floated toward the bones that made up his body and put himself back together with Sonny's help. But once he realized he was a naked skeleton, Solomon quickly went back to his throne and put on the purple robe and white tunic that were lying there. Next, he sat down at the throne and picked up an ornamental scepter.

"Now, to show my appreciation for eliminating the 40 Thieves and putting my body back together, I shall give you this," King Solomon said and waved his scepter before Sonny and Shahra.

A flash of light appeared, followed by a white ring that floated into Sonny's hands.

"Another World Ring," Shahra said.

"All right, that makes six," Sonny said. Then he bowed to King Solomon. "I appreciate your gift, King Solomon, but we were wondering if you could tell us everything you know about the World Rings."

"There isn't much to say," replied Solomon. "They are mystical artifacts that hold great powers and may be used to link this world and another together if the one who collects all seven sacrifices himself."

"So can we use the rings to defeat Erazor Djinn?" Sonny asked.

"It's possible, but there is another way," Solomon said turning to Shahra as he spoke. "You see, Erazor Djinn is actually the Genie of the Lamp."

"The Genie of the Lamp? From 'Aladdin'?" Sonny said with disbelief.

"Then I take it you're familiar with the story," replied Solomon. "The Genie's power comes from his lamp. Without it, he is completely powerless. However, since he became Erazor Djinn the lamp has gone missing."

"Do you know where the lamp is?"

"It is much closer than you think."

"I see." Sonny looked at Shahra and then back at Solomon.

"You will find the last World Ring in Erazor Djinn's palace, which can be opened with the White World Ring," Solomon responded pointing his scepter at the ring Sonny held.

"Oh, well that's convenient," Sonny responded, then he took off with Shahra following behind. "Thanks again, King Solomon!"

"That boy," Solomon mused as Sonny and Shahra left. "He reminds me of a certain blue hedgehog who came here before, but I sense death is approaching him swiftly."

To be continued…


	83. Chapter 83: Trick

Chapter 83: Trick

"So that's it," Sonny said staring at an imposing structure after Shahra had dissipated the magic carpet and gone back into her ring. "The Night Palace."

The full moon rose and revealed the structure to be an Arabic palace with a single turret cluttered by smaller ones around the base. Then after several lights lit the turrets, a cloud of smoke bellowed as the palace rose above the gathering of palm trees it was situated in and into the night sky. Fortunately, Sonny was far enough away to not get hit by the cloud of smoke as he was situated on a sand-dune that overlooked the valley where the palm trees were. Once it was airborne, dark clouds circled around the palace resulting in a tornado-shaped funnel that spiraled down and into the palace's main doors.

Once this was done, the palace doors closed and several small shapes appeared. Recognizing them as Erazor Djinn's underlings, Sonny leaped into the air as the creatures approached him. He then used them as springboards to get to the palace, which hovered at a steady altitude, and eventually made it to the palace's main doors. Once he was there, Sonny reached into his pocket and held up the White World Ring. The doors glowed in response and subsequently opened.

"All right, we made it," Sonny said as his knees suddenly gave out and he collapsed onto the floor.

"Sonny!" Shahra exclaimed as she emerged out of the ring.

"I'm okay," Sonny replied and looked down at his chest. "Is it just me or did the flame just get smaller?"

Shahra examined the flame and turned away. "You don't have much time left, and it's all because of me."

"Stop blaming yourself, Shahra," Sonny said as he got up. "Just remember what I promised, about stopping Erazor Djinn after we collect all the World Rings."

"Right," Shahra nodded.

The two entered through the palace doors and were immediately confronted by more of Erazor Djinn's underlings.

"It's a trap!" Shahra said.

"Don't worry, we'll get out of this," Sonny responded and plowed through the underlings.

###

After searching through almost corridor in the Night Palace, Sonny eventually came to a place which he presumed was the throne-room. But just as he entered, the room stretched indefinitely and was replaced by a solid wall with a purple-colored vortex. Irritated, Sonny entered the vortex and found himself in a starry void with the faint outlines of an invisible road that went on a series of strange twists and turns. The road was also occupied by more underlings of Erazor Djinn, so Sonny was forced to confront them as well as stay on the invisible road in order to not fall into the void.

At the end of the road, Sonny came to a large hourglass with the sand on the bottom. He then flipped the hourglass and found himself back in the throne-room as the wall crumbled while the vortex vanished. Not hesitating, Sonny entered an archway filled with white light and found himself standing outside on a pathway consisting of multiple pillars and archways. The moonlight illuminated Erazor Djinn's figure as he stood in the middle of the pathway while Sonny ran toward him.

"Well, well, if it isn't the rat boy," Erazor Djinn smirked. "I see your life-force is running low."

"So you noticed," Sonny responded casually. "Do you think maybe you could cut me some slack?"

"I will not lift the curse until you've collected all the World Rings," Erazor Djinn said.

"Fine, then go look for them yourself if they're so important."

"Maybe I will," responded Erazor Djinn as he vanished. "And when I do, you will already be dead."

"Not if I can help it," Sonny said to himself. Then he turned to Shahra and said, "Come on, let's find the last World Ring before Erazor Djinn gets back."

Shahra hesitantly nodded as she followed Sonny out of the throne-room. On the other side, the two were confronted by the underlings who weren't destroyed by Sonny previously. After he took care of them, Sonny noticed the smoke that came from the underlings merging into a circular cloud which then transformed into a large purple ring with silver carvings. As Sonny touched it, he felt a wave of strong energy that nearly overwhelmed him but quickly went away.

"You know, Shahra," Sonny said after a pause. "It just occurred to me that if you can't touch the rings then neither can Erazor Djinn since he's a Genie and that's why he wanted me to collect the World Rings for him."

"That would make sense," Shahra said.

"Also, why do you and Erazor Djinn seem to know each other?"

Shahra blushed in response. "Well…we're both reincarnated spirits from a different time and place."

"So the Shahra that I mistook you for was…your host?"

"Exactly."

"What about Erazor Djinn? Does he have a host too?"

"He does. You know him as Raza Jinn in your world."

"I thought the rat commentary sounded familiar. Now if you knew Sonic then that means you and Erazor Djinn are from his time, correct?"

"Not exactly. Sonic was alive when he came to our world, but when his world was destroyed ours perished as well."

"Then the world we've been travelling through…isn't the same one that Sonic went to?"

"No, it is merely a copy of the original."

"Did King Shahryar create it? Or Solomon?"

"Sonny," Shahra said abruptly and took Sonny's hand. "I want you to hold onto this."

There was a brief flash of light and a small ball-shaped object with intricate gold carvings appeared in Sonny's hands.

Sonny examined it and said, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, so only use it as a last resort if we can't defeat Erazor Djinn with the World Rings."

Then as soon as Sonny pocketed the ball-shaped object, Erazor Djinn reappeared in the archway to the throne-room.

"You tricked me, rat boy!" Erazor Djinn said pulling out his sword shaped like a barber's razor. "Now prepare to face my wrath!"

"Bring it on, bully!" Sonny said as followed Erazor Djinn into the archway.

To be continued…


	84. Chapter 84: Dream

Chapter 84: Dream

After Sonny had defeated Erazor Djinn, he dissipated into a puff of smoke that flew away. So Sonny pursued the smoke cloud through several doors until he came to one pair which he could not open. The doors themselves were highly decorated with no obvious handles or locks but there were seven ring-shaped holes in different colors arranged in an arc-shaped formation.

"'When the seven rings that control the worlds are gathered, the portal between the worlds shall open,'" Sonny recited as Shahra reemerged from her ring. "Well, we have all seven World Rings and there are seven ring-shaped holes."

"So this must be the door we have to open with the rings," Shahra said.

"Only one way to find out," Sonny said as he reached into his pockets to pull out the seven World Rings.

To Shahra and Sonny's amazement, the World Rings floated into the holes that matched their color and the door opened. Inside, Sonny and Shahra found themselves in a circular room lit by several lanterns illuminating the various objects surrounding a distinct throne with a red carpet and a small set of steps leading up to it. At the foot of the throne's steps stood Erazor Djinn's sword, which had a trail of smoke that suddenly grew thicker and formed into Erazor Djinn himself.

"You've gathered the seven World Rings," Erazor Djinn remarked proudly. "Well done, Shahra!"

Sonny looked at Shahra who flinched in response to Erazor Djinn.

"You were able to use the boy to find the rings and bring them to me," Erazor Djinn said as he reached his hand out to Shahra. "Now hand them over and we shall rule the worlds together!"

Shahra lifted her arms slightly and the seven World Rings appeared around her.

"Shahra, wait!" Sonny cried as Shahra floated towards Erazor Djinn. "As your master, I command you to stop!"

As Sonny rubbed the ring, Shahra halted and collapsed onto the floor.

"Prayers, sadness, rage, hatred, joy, pleasure, wishes," Erazor Djinn said as the rings appeared around him and Sonny ran towards Shahra. "These are the seven hearts that make up the stories; the seven World Rings that bind these pages together! 'But the life of the collector of the rings shall be offered up in sacrifice as the key for that control'. It is your life that will be sacrificed, rat boy, though I would've preferred to sacrifice the blue hedgehog!"

Erazor Djinn then picked up his sword and charged at Sonny before he had the time to dodge. Sonny flinched when he heard a cry of pain. He opened his eyes and saw Shahra shielding him with a large bloody cut along her back.

"No," Sonny muttered as Shahra fell into his arms.

"I'm sorry," Shahra said weakly looking up at Sonny. "I got you involved in a trap that was meant to ensnare Sonic, whom Erazor Djinn wanted to kill for destroying him back on our original world."

"It's not your fault," Sonny said. "If I had told you sooner that I was the host for Sonic's spirit, he could've taken my place."

"But I would've felt just as guilty either way."

As Shahra's eyelids started to close, Sonny shook her awake. "Shahra, don't die on me. I wish for you to go back to the way you were before."

Shahra shook her head. "I don't have the power to grant that, Sonny."

The moment Shahra became limp, the ring around Sonny's finger broke.

"That foolish girl," Erazor Djinn said and raised his sword again. "I shall make your death more painful than hers, rat boy!"

But before Erazor Djinn had the chance to strike, the seven World Rings merged with his body which suddenly glowed. Afterwards, Erazor Djinn roared in pain as his body warped and changed. Sonny watched with gritted teeth as he lowered Shahra's body to the floor. Once the transformation was complete, Erazor Djinn resembled a more horrific version of himself with three empty sockets for eyes, a giant mouth with uneven teeth, and an enormous torso with three sets of arms, small legs, and large feet.

"Erazor Djinn?" Sonny said standing in front of Shahra's body.

" **I…am Alf Layla wa-Layla,** " the creature that was once Erazor Djinn said. " **Though your world is cut off from me now, I shall remake this world in my own image and control the dreams of millions!** "

"What are you talking about? You're just some incomplete monster!" Sonny remarked.

The monster suddenly cried out as three of the World Rings detached from his back and flew towards Sonny. They were immediately absorbed into Sonny's body as he felt a sudden surge of power that overwhelmed him completely. After a brief flash of purple light, Sonny's hair had grown longer with a dark purple shade to it and white highlights along his roots. His irises had vanished and four golden rings bound his wrists and ankles.

" **You'll pay for what you've done!** " Sonny said though his voice didn't sound like his own.

" **Foolish mortal!** " Alf Layla wa-Layla laughed as the throne-room was replaced by a black smoky void. " **You dare to challenge me? I am a God!** "

With that said, Alf Layla wa-Layla threw several fiery projectiles at Sonny who managed to dodge them all. Then after tossing back a projectile shaped like a purple orb, Sonny flew towards Alf Layla wa-Layla at alarming speeds and kicked him several times in the chest area where a round ball-shaped object appeared. Once the object pierced right through his body, Alf Layla wa-Layla retreated and continued firing projectiles at Sonny.

###

After two more rounds, Alf Layla wa-Layla was destroyed in a fiery light with glowing letters flowing from him. In his place lay Erazor Djinn along with his sword. Sonny then lowered himself to the invisible floor and waved his hand in front of him. In an instant, the black void was replaced by the throne-room and Sonny returned back to his normal form with the flame on his chest extinguished.

"You…cannot defeat me," Erazor Djinn said as he got to his feet. "I am immortal."

"True, but you still have a weakness," Sonny said as he took out the golden ball Shahra gave him.

Upon seeing the golden ball, Erazor Djinn's eyes widened. "Where did you get that?"

"From a friend you thought was merely your pawn," Sonny replied as he cracked the golden ball open to reveal a gold-colored lamp inside. "Now according to myth it's said that you grant only three wishes, right?"

"I will never grant any wishes for you!" Erazor Djinn snapped.

"Oh, really?" Sonny rubbed the lamp fiercely. "For my first wish, I want Shahra back!"

A fiery beam of light shot from the lamp and went right through Erazor Djinn, causing him to flinch from pain as a trail of pink light flew from his chest and onto Sonny's index finger where Shahra's ring remade itself. As a result, Shahra's body was bathed in pink sparks and levitated into the air. Then in a matter of seconds, the sparks dispersed to reveal an unwounded Shahra who was awake and smiling.

Once Sonny was satisfied, he rubbed the lamp again and said, "For my second wish, I want all the _Arabian Nights_ stories returned to the way they were!"

Erazor Djinn flinched as a second beam from the lamp hit him in the chest which caused a purple whirlwind filled with Arabic letters to disperse from his body and fly out of every open window in the Night Palace.

"Then for my third wish, I want you, Erazor Djinn, to be trapped inside your lamp for all eternity!" Sonny shouted as a third beam shot from the lamp and hit Erazor Djinn.

"No!" Erazor Djinn cried out as his body disintegrated into a cloud of dust. "Where did my plan for revenge go so wrong?"

"You messed with the wrong guy, punk," Sonny said as he opened the lid of the lamp to allow what remained of Erazor Djinn to be sucked in. "Sure I'm not as fast or powerful as Sonic, but I have a strong will and won't let anything stop me from doing what's right!"

After Sonny closed the lid of the lamp he blew out the flame that appeared on the dipping end. Outside the throne-room the sky turned from night to day and a gentle breeze blew in. Sonny then drew his attention to Shahra who was softly crying.

"Shahra, I would like to make one final wish," Sonny said.

For a brief second, Shahra stopped crying and looked up at Sonny.

"I want you and your host to be free and be able to make your own decisions."

In response, Shahra nodded and wiped her eyes dry.

###

"Sonny!" Miles said. "Sonny, wake up!"

Sonny's eyelids fluttered and he found himself lying on the couch in the living area of his apartment with the _A Thousand and One Arabian Nights_ book in his hand. Once he noticed Miles, Sonny said, "Ali-Baba?"

"Ali-Baba?" Miles asked. "Did you stay up late reading _Arabian Nights_?"

Sonny shook his head and he then described everything that happened from Shahra appearing out of the ring to traveling through the _Arabian Nights_ stories and to defeating Erazor Djinn. Miles listened closely the whole time and said nothing in response. Then once Sonny was finished telling his story Miles said, "I don't what to tell you, Sonny, but to me it sounds like you had one crazy dream last night."

"But it couldn't have been a dream, Miles," Sonny insisted.

"Then how can you prove it?"

Sonny paused, but in the end he said nothing.

"I thought so," Miles said as he got up. "If you feel well enough, we should start heading to school."

"Yeah, I think so," Sonny replied and got up from the couch. He got changed and ate a quick chili-dog breakfast as super-fast speed before joining Miles by the stairs near their apartment door.

Together, the two boys took off down the street, past several stop-signs, until they reached school. There, Amelia was waiting by the school steps like she always did. She greeted Miles and was about to hug Sonny when he suddenly gave her a peck on the cheek.

Surprised, Amelia said, "What was that for?"

"I just feel really good to be alive right now," Sonny replied and went inside.

Inside the class where Ancient Literature was being held, Sonny found Shahra furiously searching her desk and approached her from the other side. She looked exactly like the Genie Shahra except without the pointy ears and with less jewelry. Her clothes consisted of a pink sweater, a magenta undershirt, and white slacks.

"Um, excuse me," Sonny said holding out his hand with Shahra's ring on it. "Is this what you're looking for?"

"My ring!" Shahra exclaimed, and picked it up from Sonny's outstretched hand. "Where did you find it?"

"At your desk," Sonny answered as he took his seat right next to Shahra's. "I meant to give it back to you Monday but I caught a cold and so I had to wait till I got better."

"I see," Shahra remarked. "Well, the truth is…I left it behind on purpose."

"Why?" Sonny asked.

"I'll explain after class," Shahra responded as more students started to appear in the classroom.

###

"Where's that tall brute who was with you before?" Sonny asked as he met Shahra by her locker near the classroom.

"You mean Raza?" Shahra said as her cheeks flushed red. "He…wasn't feeling well today, after you freed his mind from Erazor Djinn's influence."

Upon hearing this remark, Sonny's eyes widened. "So it wasn't a dream?"

"Not exactly," Shahra answered. "Last night, my spirit companion took you to the world of dreams after it had been corrupted by Erazor Djinn's magic and transformed into an exact replica of the _Arabian Nights_ world he and Shahra originally came from. With the seven World Rings, Erazor Djinn had hoped to use them to create a bridge between the waking and dream world and flood the former with monsters he created. However, because his memories were faulty, Erazor Djinn didn't know where the exact locations of the rings were. So he commanded Raza to make me leave behind my ring with the Genie Shahra trapped inside in order for you to pick it up. He had hoped that the Genie Shahra would persuade Sonic to go on the same quest as he did before, but she didn't want him to suffer the same fate and chose you to take Sonic's place and for that she and I are sorry."

As Shahra bowed her head, Sonny forced her to look up at him. "She doesn't have to apologize anymore, and neither do you. Now, tell me something: why did the characters Shahra and I encounter in the dream world replica of _Arabian Nights_ look like my friends or enemies in the case of Eggman?"

"Because they were the dream world counterparts to your friends and enemies in the waking world," replied Shahra as she stood straight again.

"Then it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume that they experienced the same dream I did."

"Hey, Sonny," Miles said suddenly showing up. Once he noticed Shahra, his eyes drifted up and down the hallway. "How are you talking to Shahra when Raza usually stands nearby?"

"Had to take a sick day according to Shahra," Sonny said.

"Was it a cold?" Miles asked.

"No, just a bad headache," Shahra answered.

"I see." Miles briefly scratched his head and then he said, "You know, Sonny, that dream you told me about this morning suddenly reminded me of a strange dream I had last night."

Sonny and Shahra exchanged glances before Sonny said, "Really? Why don't we hear all about it over lunch with Amelia?"

"Oh, sure," Miles responded.

"I think I'll pass, Sonny," Shahra said. "I was going to call Raza to see how he was doing."

"Can it wait?" Sonny asked.

Shahra thought for a moment and then said, "Yes, it can."

"Great, then let's go," Sonny said and led Miles and Shahra to the lunch-room.

To be continued…


	85. Chapter 85: Summoned

**Before I begin this next story-arc which is based on** _ **Sonic and the Black Knight**_ **, I would like to point out a couple of things for clarity. First, the location of the story will not take place in the same realm as the game but in Albion which is the equivalent to England in Sonny's/Sonic's world. Though more specifically, the Kingdom of Camelot which retains a medieval society despite the rest of the world being made up of modern democracies.**

Chapter 85: Summoned

It was Summer Break, but Sonny was forced to do make-up classes because of his recently bad grades. What bummed him out further was that Miles and Amelia weren't around to keep him company as they had both been invited by Professor Pickle to assist him with investigating the ancient ruins of a city called Avalon in the Kingdom of Camelot, a medieval nation in the country of Albion which was Professor Pickle's original home before he moved to Spagonia. So one afternoon Sonny resorted to calling Rouge Baxter who immediately answered.

" _Hey, Big Blue, what's up?_ " Rouge said smoothly over the phone.

"Hi, Rouge, I was wondering if your dad had any available G. U. N. assignments," Sonny replied nervously.

" _Getting bored with summer school already? It's only been a week._ "

"Yeah, but you know me and Sonic."

" _True._ " There was a pause on the other end and then Rouge replied, " _Well, according to the latest reports, G. U. N. still hasn't found Dr. Eggman and – ooh, the monarch of Camelot has gone missing._ "

"Really? Can you let your dad know that I'm interested in taking on the mission?"

" _Can't do. The Commander just assigned Shawn, Blake, and Chuck to investigate._ "

"Aw, come on. Why does Chuck get to go? He's not even a full-time agent."

" _Well he doesn't have summer school like you and I._ "

"What about Silva?"

" _He's stuck doing summer school too._ "

"That's a bummer."

" _Sure is. But if you want to hang out sometime, I could—_

"No, Rouge. You don't have to jeopardize your school work for my sake."

Rouge huffed on the other line. " _Fine. But call me if anything comes up._ "

"Will do."

After Sonny hung up, he let out a deep sigh and walked over to the kitchen to make dinner. Instead of making one chili-dog, he accidentally made two. Unhinged, Sonny was about to eat them both when the floor suddenly disappeared underneath him and he found himself falling into a void of white light. Then when the void ended, he saw the ground coming toward him and called forth Sonic in his mind. Once Sonic took over, he somersaulted midair and landed on his feet. He saw the chili-dogs falling, and immediately caught them before they hit the ground. Once this was done, Sonic found himself standing in the middle of a gravel road with green pastures on either side.

"Sonic?"

Upon hearing a female voice in a British accent, Sonic turned his head. He noticed a teenage girl standing behind him wearing a magenta-colored dress and cloak with Celtic embroidery. She had baby-blue eyes, pale skin, pointed ears, and a long braid of magenta-pink hair that ran all the way down past her back.

"Merlina?" Sonic said with disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll explain later," the girl said and got in front of Sonic.

Beyond the girl called Merlina, Sonic noticed a tall figure clad in black armor riding an armored horse of the same color. He then looked behind and saw several bat-like creatures blocking their way. Before Sonic had the chance to say anything, Merlina waved a gold-colored staff with a turquoise orb on it in front of her and a dust-cloud appeared. It covered both Merlina and Sonic completely and then once the dust-cloud settled the two found themselves in a misty forest.

"We should be safe for now, but let's keep moving," Merlina said and walked into the mist. "The Black Knight is probably looking for us as we speak."

"Yeah, about that," Sonic said as he scarfed down the two chili-dogs. "How is the Black Knight still around when I defeated him before?"

"The Black Knight you saw just now is different from the previous one," Merlina responded. "He is not an illusion, but a real person who has been corrupted by the Scabbard of Excalibur."

"Excalibur? So am I in the world of _King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table_ again?"

"No, we're in your world in the Kingdom of Camelot which lies in the country of Albion."

"So how did Excalibur get here, or you for that matter?"

"When my world came to its natural end, my spirit and a few others came to this realm and possessed the bodies of certain individuals."

Sonic made a small chuckle. "Huh, that's funny because the same thing happened to me and my friends when our world ended and reformed."

"Well, that would explain why you look different from what I remember," Merlina said and giggled a little.

"Who's your current host?"

"Merlina Camelot, who goes to the same school as your host Sonny Hedge."

"How do you know who my host is?"

"I asked Merlina to find out."

"Oh, so you and her are connected?"

"Yes, since the beginning of this year when she started having unusual dreams."

"Of your memories?"

"No, of this world's future."

"Then she's a sorceress like you?"

"Sort of. Because of our connection, she shares the same magical abilities I have but doesn't know how to use them like I do."

Before Sonic could reply, he felt his foot suddenly fall into liquid water. Surprised, Sonic immediately took his foot out and shook it violently. Then Sonic noticed he and Merlina were standing at the edge of a great lake that was covered in mist.

"What is this place?" Sonic asked.

"He's here, I can feel him," Merlina suddenly muttered.

"Who is?"

"The Sacred Sword Caliburn."

"No way!" Sonic exclaimed. "Where is he?"

"He's underneath that tree across the lake," Merlina said pointing to a large tree that was partially visible through the mist. "But first you'll need this."

Merlina waved her staff over Sonic's hand. There was a flash of light and then a metal gauntlet with gold plates appeared. It covered Sonic's hand like a glove and settled.

"Thanks, Merlina," Sonic said and took off along the edge of the lake towards the tree.

To be continued…


	86. Chapter 86: Acquaintance

Chapter 86: Acquaintance

Once Sonic got to the tree, he saw a large boulder beneath it with a sword on top. Sonic immediately jumped to the top of the boulder while Merlina watched. He then grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it up. To his surprise, the sword slipped out of the crack in the boulder it was placed in with ease and then a pair of eyes opened in the center of its decorated hilt.

"Hello, Caliburn," Sonic said as he let go of the hilt.

The sword levitated into the air as its eyes blinked in disbelief. "Sonic? Is that you?"

"It is," Sonic replied.

"Why do you look so different?" Caliburn asked.

"Well, it's because I'm a spirit occupying a human body."

"Oh, my! Were you summoned from the Underworld?"

"No, I was allowed to reincarnate thanks to the Mobius spirit Light Gaia."

"Then whose body are you occupying?"

"His name is Sonny Hedge."

"Let me speak to him."

"All right, then," Sonic said and changed back into Sonny.

But before Sonny got the chance to speak, the tall figure Sonic saw earlier came riding down from the overcast sky on the same black horse.

"It's the Black Knight!" Merlina exclaimed. "We must get out of here."

"A true warrior never runs from his battles," Caliburn said, and placed his hilt in Sonny's gauntlet-covered hand. "Now tell me, Sonny, are you a knight?"

"Um, no," Sonny answered, holding Caliburn unsteadily as the Black Knight came charging down with his sword drawn.

"Then you must be a squire," Caliburn said. "Now, follow my lead."

As the Black Knight swung his sword to strike Sonny, Caliburn moved to block it with Sonny's arms getting tugged in the process. But with each swing, Sonny got more used to Caliburn's movements and was able to strike the Black Knight a few times. Yet despite Sonny's best efforts, the Black Knight always had his free hand on a decorated scabbard with no sword which emitted a dark blue aura that healed all the Black Knight's wounds.

"I feel like this could go on forever," Sonny muttered as his hands grew weary. "Are you sure you're a Sacred Sword, Caliburn?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure!" Caliburn responded as he slipped out of Sonny's hands and floated a few inches from his face. "You're the one who lacks the proper fighting skills, knave."

"Hey, don't call me a knave!" Sonny responded angrily.

The Black Knight laughed menacingly as he sheathed his sword. "A fool like you could never hope to defeat me, so this battle is pointless."

Then the Black Knight rode off into the sky just as quickly as he had come. Sonny and Caliburn watched him go while Merlina came out from underneath a tree-root she was hiding under when the Black Knight showed up. As soon as the Black Knight was gone, however, Sonny and Caliburn began to argue.

"Boys," Merlina said as she appeared between Sonny and Caliburn in a puff of smoke. "You do realize that as long as the Black Knight carries the Scabbard of Excalibur, he cannot be defeated."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Sonny asked.

"Consult the man who made that corrupted illusion of King Arthur in the first place, Merlin the Wizard," Caliburn said, and glanced wearily at Merlina. "Assuming he reincarnated into this world."

"He's dead," Merlina answered bluntly. "And you weren't fighting an illusion, but an actual man named Arthur who is the current ruler of the kingdom stand in."

"How can that be? Sonic is the true King Arthur, so this man you speak of must be an imposter!"

"We're not in the World of Camelot anymore, Caliburn," Merlina replied calmly.

"Then where are we?" Caliburn asked.

"In my world, which is also Sonic's," Sonny said. "So, Merlina, how can we defeat the Black Knight if he can't be wounded?"

"We must find the reincarnation of Nimue, the Lady of the Lake," Merlina said. "She was the one who gave King Arthur the cursed scabbard in the first place. But right now, I think it would be best if you took Caliburn to the Blacksmith shop at Camelot Castle to repair him."

"Hmm, I guess you're right," Sonny said grabbing Caliburn by the hilt. "His blade does look pretty dull."

"Well, I can't help it!" Caliburn exclaimed. "Being trapped inside a rock for eons will take its toll if you're a sword."

"Right," Sonny replied sarcastically. As the mist began to clear, the trees around the lake became slightly visible. "So which way is Camelot Castle?"

"That way," Merlina said pointing her staff in a westward direction.

Sonny started to walk across the stone bridge that connected the small island which the boulder and tree were situated on to the shore of the lake when he looked back and noticed Merlina wasn't moving.

"Aren't you coming?" Sonny asked.

"No, the Black Knight would surely come if I showed myself in a public place," Merlina replied. "I shall remain in hiding for now, but call my name if you need me."

"Oh, then I'll see you later," Sonny said and waved at Merlina as he took off with Caliburn in hand.

###

On the outskirts of Camelot Castle, which was a looming structure of brimstone turrets and imposing walls that was only accessible via a stone bridge that ran across a giant moat. Sonny had just gotten done explaining his world to Caliburn and the many adventures he had been having since he was thirteen when the spirit of Sonic suddenly appeared. Caliburn didn't notice him, but he still looked at the place where Sonic floated which was right in front of Sonny.

"Why didn't you summon me when we were fighting the Black Knight?" Sonic asked with his arms folded.

"Because I didn't think to do so," Sonny said defensively.

"Well you should've because if the Black Knight hadn't gotten bored of fighting you might've been killed."

"I know, Sonic, and I'm sorry."

After a brief sigh, Sonic said, "Just don't hesitate to call me."

As Sonic's apparition vanished, Caliburn's eyes drifted up towards Sonny. "Who were you talking to?"

"Sonic," Sonny answered.

"You don't sound too happy," Caliburn said as Sonny walked slowly across the bridge.

"He just got mad at me for not letting him take over when the Black Knight attacked."

"But it was your decision to not ask for his help, so don't feel bad about it."

"I know, but he's just looking out for me. After all, if I die then he does also."

Inside, the castle was crawling with small creatures covered in shiny black armor. Fortunately, there were no people around so Sonny transformed into Sonic and slashed his way through the creatures wielding Caliburn with expert familiarity. Once this was accomplished, Sonic made his way to the Blacksmith shop which was designated by an open doorway where an enormous hearth and workbench were located. He quickly changed back into Sonny as footsteps were heard followed by a figure appearing in the doorway.

"Miles?" Sonny exclaimed, seeing his best friend standing at the opening to the Blacksmith shop wearing a work apron, black-tinted goggles, and a large mitt on one hand. "I wasn't expecting to run into you here. Is the Blacksmith in?"

"I am the Blacksmith," Miles said with a confident smile. "Now how may I be of service to you, good friend?"

"Why do you sound like Tails?" Sonny then noticed Miles wearing bandages around his head and a hint of two tails moved in the darkness of the doorway.

"Tails? Who's that?" Miles/Tails asked.

Sonny sighed irritably and said, "Maybe this will jog your memory."

Miles/Tails watched with fascination as Sonny transformed into Sonic and then his eyes widened. "I remember you! You were the blue hedgehog that came into my shop to have a special sword repaired!"

"Aren't you the Blacksmith from the World of Camelot?" Sonic said as Miles/Tails removed the bandages from his head allowing two fox ears to show themselves.

"That's correct," Miles/Tails responded. Then he noticed Caliburn and said, "And I see you have the special sword again. Caliburn, was it?"

"Indeed, Blacksmith," Caliburn said floating out of Sonic's hand. "Now sharpen my blade so I may be presentable to the Lady of the Lake."

"Yes, sir, right away!" the Blacksmith was about to take Caliburn to the anvil when Sonic held him back.

"Before you start repairing Caliburn, I'd like to know what you're doing in my friend's body," Sonic said as he changed back into Sonny.

To be continued…


	87. Chapter 87: Loyalty

Chapter 87: Loyalty

After Caliburn had been sharpened, the Blacksmith relinquished control over Miles' body and passed on to the afterlife. This in turn left Miles with a splitting headache which forced him to lie down on the cot that served as a bed in the shop. As he groaned loudly, the fox ears and tail that were Tails' signature features appeared for a brief second before Miles sighed with relief.

"Are you okay, man?" Sonny asked as Miles sat up in the cot.

"I think so," Miles replied wearily and looked around the smithy in confusion. "How did I get into this Blacksmith shop?"

"You were temporarily possessed by the spirit of a Blacksmith from a world where the story of _King Arthur_ is real," Sonny answered.

"Wait, I had _two_ spirits inside me?" Miles shook his head briefly. "No wonder Tails' spirit was acting up."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"So what brings you to the Kingdom of Camelot? Is Eggman back?"

"I wish," Sonny huffed. "Do you know Merlina Camelot?"

"Sort of," Miles replied. "She's the current president of The Blue Blur Fan-Club, but I haven't really talked to her. Why do you ask?"

"Because she summoned me here."

"How?"

"With magic. She's the host for a spirit called Merlina the Wizard who comes from the same world that the Blacksmith did."

"Is she a friend or an enemy?"

"Merlina the Wizard seems to be a friend, but Caliburn doesn't think so."

"Who's Caliburn?"

"I am," Caliburn said and floated up to Miles' eye-level.

Miles blinked for a few seconds before speaking. "Did that sword just talk?"

"Of course I did!" Caliburn exclaimed. "I am a Sacred Sword, after all."

"Just when I thought my life couldn't get weirder," Miles muttered to himself. Then he turned to Sonny. "Why did Merlina summon you?"

As Caliburn continued to levitate, Sonny replied, "She wants Sonic to rid the kingdom of this guy called the Black Knight who was apparently King Arthur."

"Are you referring to the legendary figure or the current ruler of Camelot Kingdom?" Miles asked.

"I'm referring to the latter."

"What is he doing?"

"According to Merlina, he's summoning dark creatures from the Underworld and allowing them to run amok through the kingdom. In fact, Camelot Castle is currently overrun by such creatures and you're the only person I've seen in this whole place."

"That's awful, but it seems strange that King Arthur would be acting so villainous in the first place. He seemed like a nice guy when Professor Pickle and I met up with him yesterday."

"Well, apparently, King Arthur's been corrupted by this magical item called the Scabbard of Excalibur which caused him to transform into the Black Knight."

"The Scabbard?" Miles scratched his head. "No, it can't be."

"What?"

"A few days ago, Professor Pickle unearthed this artifact from the ruins of Avalon which he called the Scabbard of Excalibur after a legendary blade that mysteriously disappeared from this kingdom long ago. Amelia and I were there to witness it, and so was King Arthur. Then yesterday he asked Professor Pickle if he borrow the Scabbard for a day. Seeing no harm in doing so, Professor Pickle allowed Amelia to give the Scabbard to King Arthur before he took off with his chief-advisor Merlin and a girl with a long braid of pink hair."

"That sounds like Merlina," Sonny noted.

"It might've been," Miles agreed, and then he continued. "So this morning, Professor Pickle, Amelia, and I arrive in Camelot Castle hoping to get the Scabbard back from King Arthur but we were told that he and Merlin were absent. Suspicious about this, Professor Pickle ordered Amelia to analyze the altar in the Deep Woods and me to stay put while he went off to look for King Arthur."

"You know he doesn't have a cellphone, right?"

"Yes, but even if he did there's no Wi-Fi in this kingdom so he wouldn't be able to contact me, anyway."

"It's almost evening now. Do you think he might be in trouble?"

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Then we should go find him."

"Wait, Sonny, we still have to find Nimue," Caliburn said.

"Nimue? As in the Lady of the Lake?" Miles said with disbelief.

"Do you know her?" Caliburn asked.

"No, but I read the story of _King Arthur_ a lot when I was a kid. Is she real?"

"Caliburn's referring to her reincarnation, who may be able to tell us how to negate the Scabbard's power," Sonny answered.

"Then you two should look for her. I'll go and find Professor Pickle," Miles said as he got out of the cot.

"But Miles, shouldn't we wait till tomorrow?" Sonny said anxiously.

"We don't have time for that," Miles replied irritably. "Professor Pickle told me the Scabbard grants its user immortality but at the cost of corrupting the user's soul with dark energy to the point where that person becomes no different from the monsters he summons from the Underworld. So the longer we wait, the more threatening King Arthur becomes and if Professor Pickle really is in danger then he might die unless I find him soon."

Before Sonny could stop him, Miles transformed into Tails and ran out the entrance to the smith shop. Sonny tried to follow him, but Tails was already flying above the filthy streets of Camelot Castle before the dark creatures could touch him. So the monsters turned their attention to Sonny who in turn transformed into Sonic as Caliburn flew to his side.

"Let's get out of this crazy town and head for Deep Woods," Sonic said as he slashed through the creatures in a matter of seconds. "If the Blacksmith possessed Miles because he's Tails' counterpart from the World of Camelot, then Nimue's spirit has probably taken ahold of Amelia due to being Amy's counterpart."

"That would make sense," Caliburn agreed.

###

As Sonic ran through Deep Woods, the sky had gone completely dark and there were faint traces of moonlight. At a bend in the path Sonic was taking, he saw a tall figure standing near the trees. He wore dark gray armor that covered his whole body and his head was protected by a helmet that shielded his face while the back of his head was unprotected, revealing spiky black hair with red highlights and a pair of noticeable hedgehog ears.

"Hey, Shadow!" Sonic cried, waving his hand to get the figure's attention. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"My name is not Shadow," the figure said, drawing a curved blade from his side. "I am Sir Lancelot, a Knight of the Round Table. You must be the hedgehog-eared boy who helped Merlina escape from my king."

"Some things never change," Sonic said wearily, and lowered Caliburn to the ground with both hands. "Look, Lancelot, I don't want to fight you. The man you think is your king is false. I'm Sir Sonic, the Knight of the Wind and the true King Arthur."

"So you think you're _my_ king? Then let's see if you fight like one!" Lancelot said, and charged at Sonic with his sword raised.

As he struck down, Sonic blocked Lancelot's blade with Caliburn. The two stuck and parried each other's blades for several seconds, until Sonic finally managed to strike Lancelot's blade from his hand. Then before Lancelot could reach for it, Sonic pinched the tip of Caliburn to Lancelot's throat. At that moment, Lancelot's knelt before Sonic.

"My liege," Lancelot said, looking down at the ground. "How did I not recognize you?"

"I look different from how I appeared when I came to your world, so I'm not surprised you didn't realize who I was sooner," Sonic replied.

"I'm deeply sorry for attacking you," Lancelot replied, positioning his head underneath Caliburn's blade. "If you see fit to cut off my head as punishment, please do so now."

Sonic hesitated, and then he withdrew Caliburn. "No, I won't take your life. But I would like to know what you're doing in your current body. Are you one of the spirits who migrated from the World of Camelot to this one along with Merlina, Merlin, and Caliburn?"

"To be honest, my king, I do not know," Lancelot said. "I remember being in a white void, and then the next minute I find myself in this body with my armor and sword already on my person."

"That's odd," Sonic responded. "Do you know if Sir Gawain and Percival have reincarnated too?"

"They have. We all awoke in the Avalon ruins together, and were told by the man who called himself King Arthur that Merlin tried to take the sacred Scabbard of Excalibur away from him. Thus, he killed him and branded Merlin's granddaughter Merlina a traitor. So King Arthur pursued her down that road you appeared on while we stood nearby in case King Arthur's life was threatened. Then after you and Merlina escaped, King Arthur ordered the knights and I to continue the pursuit."

"I see." Sonic then picked up Lancelot's blade and gave it to Lancelot. "Search for the other two knights and tell them what I told you."

"I shall do as you ask," Lancelot said and rose with his sword in hand.

While Sonic continued down the path one way, Lancelot went the other.

To be continued…


	88. Chapter 88: Compassion

Chapter 88: Compassion

Eventually, Sonic and Caliburn came to a pristine lake that glowed in the pale light that shined from the gibbous moon. A walkway lit by crystal lanterns guided the two to a circular altar where a familiar figure stood. It was Amy, but instead of wearing her usual pink dress and boots she wore a long blue and white dress with a matching headband that two gold circles on each end, white gloves, and a transparent blue collar that rose behind her head.

"Welcome, Sir Sonic," the Amy lookalike responded.

"Greetings, Nimue, Lady of the Lake," Sonic said as he bowed to the Amy lookalike.

"I assume you're here to ask about how to negate the Scabbard of Excalibur's power over the poor man known as King Arthur," Nimue said as she sat down on a cushioned seat before a circular table made of stone with two cups full of tea on it.

"You're still as wise as ever," Sonic replied as he took the seat next to Nimue. "Then I take it you know you're occupying a body that belongs to someone else."

"Yes, and I have already consulted both the host and my counterpart," Nimue said. "I've convinced them that I should be in control for now until the threats that plague this kingdom have vanished."

"Fair enough," Sonic said casually. "So are you going to tell me how to repel the Scabbard's power or do I have to complete the tasks you gave me last time?"

Nimue shook her head. "You do not have to, but your host will."

"What? Why?"

"While you have proven yourself worthy of being a true knight, your host hasn't. So if you don't mind, I would like to speak to him."

"Fine," Sonic said as he sighed and changed back into Sonny.

"Now, in order for you to become a true knight, you must complete three tasks for me: free the innocents who've been imprisoned in King Arthur's dungeons, offer compassion to those in need, and defeat the Knights of the Underworld."

"Sounds like the kind of knightly things to do," Sonny replied.

"You have three days to complete these tasks," Nimue said as she disappeared. "I wish you luck."

"Are you sure about this? The tasks won't be easy to accomplish," Caliburn said.

"If they'll make me a true knight, then I'll do them in a jiffy," Sonny said and took off from the lake.

###

By the time Sonny freed all the people imprisoned in Camelot Castle, it was already morning.

"That task was too easy," Sonny said as he ran past the Deep Woods.

"Don't let it get to your head, knave," Caliburn responded.

Sonny was about to respond when he heard sounds nearby. Up the path he was running along, a little girl sat crying into her gloved hands. She wore a long purple robe with a hood that covered her face.

"Hey," Sonny said approaching the girl. "What's the matter?"

"A dragon attacked my village," the little girl said mumbling into her hands. "It took my mommy and daddy and everyone away."

"A dragon!" Caliburn exclaimed. "Then you're very lucky if you managed to escape."

"But that's impossible," Sonny responded. "Dragons don't exist in my world."

"Then the Black Knight must have summoned one from the Underworld," Caliburn guessed.

"Do you know where the dragon lives?" Sonny asked the girl.

"He flew into a big cave at the bottom of that mountain," the girl said pointing to a looming mountain in the distance.

"All right, I'll slay that dragon and save your folks," Sonny said and took off in the direction of the mountain. "Be back in a flash!"

"You fool! What about the tasks?" Caliburn objected.

"Doesn't this fall under the task 'offer compassion to those in need'?"

Caliburn said nothing in response as Sonny ran at top speeds toward the looming mountain which lay north of Camelot Castle. On the way, Sonny came to an open field with grass and large flat stones arranged in a circular formation. Inside this circular of stones stood a figure who resembled Chuck but he wore bronze-colored armor and a helmet that covered his face. Twin blades were gripped in his unusually large fists and there was a red zigzag tail coming out his rear-end.

"Is that you, Knuckles?" Sonny asked. "You're standing in my way."

"I am Sir Gawain, Knight of the Round Table," the Chuck lookalike said raising his blades. "Are you the one who poisoned Lancelot's mind with lies?"

"Lies? Sonic was telling the truth!" Sonny said, but then he immediately regretted it.

"So Sonic's his name," Gawain muttered as he slowly walked toward Sonny. "Tell me where he is, and I might spare your life."

"As much as I'd like to, I'm kind of in a hurry to save people from a dragon who took them to his cave and is holding them hostage."

"Liar! I bet you're really after the dragon's treasure!" Gawain said as he picked up his pace. "Now die, you thieving rat-boy!"

"Then you leave me with no choice," Sonny said raising Caliburn as he transformed into Sonic.

As Gawain's blades came swinging, Sonic used Caliburn to block them. Then when there was an opening, Sonic flipped through the air and struck Gawain from the back. Fortunately, the blow wasn't lethal but it angered Gawain enough to turn around and charge at Sonic once more. This time, Sonic was ready and he swung Caliburn so hard that Gawain was literally knocked off his feet as his two blades fell to his sides. Before Gawain could recover, Sonic dashed up to him and held Caliburn's tip near Gawain's neck.

"I have disgraced my king, by losing to a mere boy like you," Gawain said and closed his eyes. "Please kill me now, so that this stain on my honor is removed."

Sonic paused and then he lifted Caliburn. "Didn't you learn anything from last time? There's more to being a knight than just serving your king."

Gawain opened his eyes and blinked for a few seconds. "Sir Sonic? Is that you?"

"In the flesh, but in a different body," Sonic replied.

Immediately, Gawain grabbed one of the twin blades near him and held it at his own throat. "I shouldn't have attacked you, my liege, and shall thus take my own life as punishment."

"Hey, quit being so melodramatic!" Sonic said and swung the blade away from Gawain's hand using Caliburn. "You haven't disgraced your king, but you've been misled by an impostor. Didn't Lancelot tell you this?"

"I have not spoken to him since yesterday," Gawain answered. "The Black Knight who claimed he was King Arthur visited me last night and claimed Sir Lancelot had been mislead by a hedgehog-eared boy who helped the traitor Merlina escape. I was told to slay the boy if he should cross my path or Sir Lancelot should he still be alive."

"Still be alive? Did the Black Knight confront Sir Lancelot?"

"Yes, in a fight that resulted in Sir Lancelot mysteriously vanishing after being wounded by King Arthur's sword."

"That sounds like the work of Merlina."

"The Wizard?"

Sonic nodded. "She possesses the girl your false king sent you to chase."

Gawain gritted his teeth. "Didn't she betray us once?"

"She did, but I don't think she'll be foolish enough to try the same thing again."

"So what shall I do, Sir Sonic?" Gawain asked as he bowed his head.

"Go to Deep Woods and seek out the Lady of the Lake. If Merlina didn't send Sir Lancelot to her already, then she might know where he is."

"Very well," Gawain responded as he picked up his blades.

After he stood up, Gawain ran in the direction Sonic just came from, while Sonic changed back into Sonny and continued toward the mountain.

"You realize using Sonic to fight your battles is a form of cheating, right?" Caliburn said dubiously as he floated alongside Sonny.

"I know, but the guy we just fought was actually a friend of mine who got possessed by the spirit of Gawain so it only seemed fair to counter him with Sonic," Sonny replied.

To be continued…


	89. Chapter 89: True

Chapter 89: True

"Well, good news, kid," Sonny said once he made it back to Deep Woods two days later where the hooded girl was waiting for him. "The dragon was conveniently not in his cave, so I was able to save everyone including your folks and bring them back to the village."

"Thank you," the girl said, and removed her hood. "And I'm sorry for deceiving you."

"Nimue?!" Sonny exclaimed, recognizing the girl once she removed the purple robe. "So your folks weren't—

"They weren't real, and neither was the dragon," Nimue answered. "But the villagers were really captured by the Knights of the Underworld and taken to that empty cave."

"Yeah, I remember fighting those guys, but I didn't know they were behind the villagers being kidnapped."

"Then I take it you were testing his compassion by pretending to be a villager in need of help," Caliburn said.

"Of course," Nimue said. "And I saw in my magic pool that you freed the innocents from Camelot Castle and defeated most of the Knights of the Underworld. Therefore, I consider you to be true knight, Sonny."

"I beg to differ," Caliburn responded abruptly. "He allowed himself to be possessed by Sonic during an encounter he had with Sir Gawain."

"Yes, I saw that, but he only used Sonic when he thought it was necessary," Nimue said. "Now if he had been possessed by Sonic the whole time, I would've considered that cheating. Plus, he was able to bring Sir Gawain to his senses as Sonic."

Caliburn was about to say something but in the end he kept his mouth shut.

"Speaking of Gawain, did he make it here safely?" Sonny asked.

"Yes, and so did Sir Lancelot," Nimue said as she walked down the path that led to the lake while Sonny and Caliburn followed her.

"Is he hurt?"

"He's fine now, but he was bleeding pretty badly."

"How did he arrive?"

"In a cloud of dust, much like how you and Merlina escaped the Black Knight."

"So what Gawain said was true."

"He may not be the smartest knight, but he is the most honest."

Once they reached the lake, Sonny noticed Gawain standing guard by the bridge to the altar where Lancelot was resting. Gawain briefly nodded to Sonny before joining him, Caliburn, and Nimue at the circular altar. There, Nimue gently woke Lancelot who rose up and lowered his head in Sonny's presence.

"Um, you guys don't need to be formal with me," Sonny said embarrassingly. "I'm not your true king."

"That may be so, but you're his present host. Thus, we shall respect you just as much as he," Lancelot responded.

"Now tell us, Lady of the Lake, how may we counter the Scabbard of Excalibur's power?" Gawain asked to Nimue.

"To weaken the immortality that is bestowed upon King Arthur, we must use the four Sacred Swords against him," Nimue said. "We already have Caliburn, Sir Lancelot's sword Arondight, and Galatine, the twin blades that belong to Sir Gawain."

"So all that's left is Sir Percival's sword Laevatein," Lancelot said.

"Yeah, it'll be fun trying to get Sir Percival to join our side," Gawain replied sarcastically.

"Why do you say that?" Sonny asked.

"She's a very strong and noble knight," Caliburn said. "One false move could be fatal when you confront her."

"But what have those things go to do with Percival being difficult to convince?"

"Because she holds the principles of a knight to a high standard, Sir Percival wouldn't dare betray the man she thinks is her king and will follow his orders to the letter," Caliburn answered.

"Maybe Gawain and I should accompany you," Lancelot said.

"No, Lancelot, this is something that Sonny has to do alone," Nimue said. "Only when Sir Percival gazes upon her true king will she come to her senses."

"Then the sooner I get it done, the better," Sonny said and grabbed Caliburn.

"You will find Sir Percival in the Molten Mines," Nimue said. "I shall pray for your victory."

###

In a valley where molten lava ran down smoking volcanoes through rocky ravines, Sonny came across Sir Percival standing near the edge of a barren cliff. She looked like Blake with the purple hair streaming up from behind her silver-gray helmet, but she had noticeable cat ears and a tail peeking out from the matching silver-gray armor she wore. Her sword was a fencing foil but with a sharp tip at the end of the blade and a gold-colored guard at the hilt.

"I am Sir Percival, Knight of the Round Table, servant of King Arthur," the Blake lookalike said in Blaze the Cat's voice. "State your name so that I may remember you after you're slain and your master so that I may deliver your corpse to him."

"Blaze, if you're still in there, you've got to convince the spirit of Percival to stop," Sonny said as he transformed into Sonic. "I am Sir Sonic, the Knight of the Wind and your true king."

"All I hear are lies coming from your mouth," Percival said and charged at Sonic. "I shall silence thee forever!"

Sonic blocked Percival's attack and parried them in rapid sequence. But with each parry, Sonic managed to push Percival farther back on the ledge that precariously jutted out from the cliff. Then once she reached the edge, Percival lowered her sword.

"You have fought well, Sir Sonic," Percival said. "Almost as good as someone else I used to know."

The rocky ledge crumbled underneath Percival's metal shoes and she fell toward the lava stream below. Quickly, Sonic grabbed her hand and pierced Caliburn into the side of the cliff. Sparks flew from the blade as it slid down, but Caliburn eventually stayed.

Percival's eyes widened as she gazed up at Sonic. "It is you, the one who fought me when I was alive and eventually proved himself to be the true King Arthur."

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Sonic said. "And don't apologize for not recognizing me. Lancelot and Gawain said the same thing when I fought them."

"Are they all right?" Percival asked. "The Black Knight claimed they were both slain by you."

"Well, he lied," Sonic replied. "They're both with the Lady of the Lake if you don't believe me."

###

After Percival left for Deep Woods to join Lancelot and Gawain, Sonic and Caliburn were about to do the same when a familiar figure suddenly appeared behind them.

"Merlina!" Sonic exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"At the Misty Lake," Merlina replied. "I saw everything that happened in the reflecting pool, and I'm very proud of what you've done."

"Is it true that you saved Lancelot from getting killed by the Black Knight?" Sonic asked.

"Yes," Merlina nodded. "I knew I was risking my own life, but Sir Lancelot would've died if I hadn't interfered."

"And so would've Shawn and Shadow," Sonic responded. "I wonder how Miles is doing."

At that moment, Merlina frowned. "I'm afraid he's been captured by the Black Knight and is being held prisoner in the Avalon ruins."

"Oh, then the Knights of the Round Table and I should get to Avalon right away," Sonic said as he turned from Merlina and was about to run when he looked back. "Where is Avalon?"

"It's on a little island that lies south of here," Merlina said. "I'll be waiting for you in Camelot Castle, Sir Sonic."

"Sounds good," Sonic replied and ran off.

To be continued...


	90. Chapter 90: Lies

**90th Chapter! Ten more and we** **'** **ll reach 100! Thank you so much for supporting my fan-fiction up till now!**

Chapter 90: Lies

After gathering the Knights of the Round Table, Sonic journeyed to the island of Avalon where King Arthur, or the Black Knight, was supposedly located. All it took was a long run south of Deep Woods and a boat-ride across the Albion bay area to reach Avalon, which consisted of an ancient-looking castle on a small rocky isle covered in grass. While the Knights of the Round Table hid themselves with their Sacred Swords drawn, Sonic approached the Black Knight who sat on his black steed at the entrance to a stone walkway that ran the circumference of the entire castle with green archways and fencing along the sides.

"So the fool of a knight has finally come to face me in person," the Black Knight said drawing his sword. "Yet you seem different from the last time we met."

"That's because I am different," Sonic said as he changed into Sonny. "I am Sir Sonny, Knight of the Dual Winds. Now give me the Scabbard of Excalibur, King Arthur, or I shall have to take it from you by force!"

"Try and stop me if you can!" the Black Knight said and took off on his horse.

"Then by force it is," Sonny said loud enough for the hidden Knights of the Round Table to hear.

While the Knights of the Round Table silently followed behind, Sonny pursued the Black Knight along the walkway. Once he got close enough, Sonny flipped through the air and stood on the neck of the Black Knight's steed. Undeterred, the horse continued to run while the Black Knight swung his sword at Sonny who managed to parry the strikes. Then when there was an opening, Sonny struck the Black Knight a few times till he fell off his horse which vanished in a puff of smoke. As he got to his knees, the Black Knight pulled out the Scabbard of Excalibur which was made of brown leather and decorated in gold.

"Heh heh heh…I am immortal," the Black Knight said as the Scabbard began to glow. "You cannot defeat me."

"Now, guys!" Sonny shouted.

The three Knights of the Round Table came out of hiding and stood around the Black Knight in a triangular formation with their swords pointed to the ground. Three circular patterns glowed beneath them as the triangular area around the Black Knight was bathed in golden light. Surprised, the Black Knight tried to stand but he could hardly move.

"You traitors!" the Black Knight shouted. "You're supposed to obey your king!"

"What are you talking about?" Gawain said mockingly.

"We are obeying our king," Lancelot added.

"He is currently residing in the boy who is about to defeat you," Percival said nodding to Sonny who transformed into Sonic.

While the Knights got out of the way, Sonic came charging at the Black Knight with Caliburn in a striking position. But at the last second, Sonic used one hand to grab the Scabbard from the Black Knight as he ran past him while knocking him out with Caliburn's hilt in the other. As the Black Knight keeled over, Sonic held up the Scabbard triumphantly while the Knights withdrew their swords. It was then that the Black Knight dissolved in a black smoke that was similar to the way the black horse went and in his place lay a short man in gold and purple robes.

"What the?" Sonic said as he changed back into Sonny. "King Arthur?"

Sonny tried to wake the man, but he would not budge.

"It looks like you knocked him out pretty hard," Lancelot noted.

"Sonny!" Merlina cried from the top turret of the castle.

"Merlina!" Sonny responded. "I thought you were going to wait for me at Camelot Castle!"

"I changed my mind!" Merlina replied. "Bring the Scabbard up to me so that I may seal its dark powers once and for all!"

"Okay!" Sonny then turned to the Knights. "Search the place for any dungeons. My friend Miles and a man named Professor Pickle might be in them."

"We're on it," Gawain said as he and the other Knights split off.

###

At the top balcony of the castle, Sonny found Merlina standing near a tree by the turret she called him from.

"Well done," Merlina said as she approached Sonny. "And thank you, Sir Sonny."

Sonny was about to give Merlina the Scabbard of Excalibur when he saw Miles, Professor Pickle, and the Knights of the Round Table running from the entrance to the balcony he just came from.

"Miles," Sonny said. "You're alive!"

"Don't give the Scabbard to Merlina!" Miles cried. "She was the one who imprisoned me three days ago, and Professor Pickle before that."

"We also discovered that the King Arthur you defeated was nothing more than an illusion," Lancelot said. "There was no trace of his body when we went back for it."

"No, the King Arthur you fought was real," Merlina said and conjured the small man in the robes between her and Sonny. "I just replaced his body with a fake one after you all split up."

"Merlina, what are you doing?" Sonny asked as Merlina grabbed the unconscious man and held a dagger to the man's throat.

"I had hoped you would give the Scabbard to me naturally, but now that your friends have given me away I'm now forced to take more drastic measures," Merlina said coldly. "If you don't hand over the Scabbard, the King will die by my hand."

Sonny hesitated. "If I give you the Scabbard, you won't kill him?"

"I swear it," Merlina said.

"It's a trick, Sonny," Miles said. "Don't do it!"

"But what other choice do we have?" Professor Pickle responded. "The King's life is at stake."

"So what will it be?" Merlina said, pressing the dagger's tip into the King's throat a little. "The Scabbard or the King?"

At that moment, Sonny sighed and tossed the Scabbard toward Merlina. She caught it in her free hand and just before Sonny could get to the King, Merlina stabbed him in the throat. As King Arthur lay choking in his own blood, Merlina held the Scabbard with both hands as a purple light emanated from her body causing her braid to unwind itself which loosened her hair significantly. She smiled menacingly at Sonny and plunged the Scabbard into the ground which released a black and red lightning bolt that shot up into the sky that caused the clouds overhead to swirl into a darkening vortex.

"Hurry, Sonny!" Caliburn said urgently. "We must leave at once!"

Immediately, Sonny turned away from Merlina and followed Miles, Professor Pickle, and the Knights of the Round Table out of the castle as it started to crumble and the corridors were filled with more Knights of the Underworld. Fortunately, Sonny was able to transform into Sonic and plow through most of the Underworld Knights while Lancelot, Gawain, and Percival helped. Miles brought up the rear with Professor Pickle in tow who couldn't run as fast. So Miles had to become Tails and carry Professor Pickle in his arms as he flew above the chaotic battle-scenes toward the exit. They all reached the boat, and got in quickly before Gawain started furiously paddling it away from Avalon. Once they were safely on the other shore, the five watched as the castle transformed into a crown-shaped structure and the swirling clouds grew darker and wider.

"That witch!" Caliburn said angrily. "She has betrayed us once more and is now going to use the Scabbard's power to consume the entire kingdom in darkness!"

"I guess Sonny and I should've listened to you, Caliburn," Sonic said guiltily.

"No, it's my fault," Caliburn said. "I knew Merlina had betrayed us back in the World of Camelot, but I didn't know how until it was too late."

"What she just did was pretty much how she tricked us last time, though the bargaining of King Arthur's life and his subsequent death were different," Lancelot said.

"Then why couldn't any of us remember it until now?" Gawain said smashing his fists into the ground.

"Because we spirits have a tendency to forget things until we experience them again," Tails said. "Right, Professor Pickle?"

"In theory, yes," Professor Pickle said.

"It's only a matter of time before this kingdom is consumed," Percival said watching the darkening sky. "We must do something!"

"Like what?" Lancelot asked. "How can we compete against magic like that?"

"With your swords," Nimue said appearing from a magic circle that formed between the three Knights. "If various locations from our world have come into this one, then the four sacred Barrier Stones must also be present."

"Now by placing our swords at each of the Barrier Stones, the stones will form a magic barrier around the castle and thus contain Merlina's magic," Percival said.

"But didn't that not work last time?" Lancelot said turning to Nimue.

"Yes, but our options are few at the moment," Nimue replied sharply.

"Well, maybe we should try this plan for now and if it fails we should have a back-up one ready," Sonic said.

"Did you have anything in mind?" Gawain asked.

"Remember when we summoned the sword Excalibur after combining our swords' powers?" Sonic asked.

The three Knights nodded.

"Then we'll just do that if this Barrier Stone plan doesn't work out."

"Sounds good to me," Percival said raising her fencing sword high. "For the Kingdom and its people!"

Gawain and Lancelot did the same and repeated what Percival said word-for-word.

"I think it would be best if Professor Pickle and I head for Llundain, the capital of Albion, and alert G. U. N. about what's going on," Tails said.

"Makes sense to me, Tails," Sonic replied.

"Although considering how rough the skies look, perhaps you two should stay at my lake for the time-being," Nimue said and grabbed Tails and Professor Pickle's hands. "May Sir Sonic and the Knights of the Round Table prevail."

Then before Tails and Professor Pickle could protest, Nimue vanished along with them.

To be continued…


	91. Chapter 91: Barrier

Chapter 91: Barrier

As night fell over the Kingdom of Camelot, Sir Lancelot made his way into the Shrouded Forest that lay north of Avalon isle past the Albion coastline before Camelot Castle. Once a healthy forest full of green trees with a little village within, Shrouded Forest was now overgrown with cursed fungi that released toxic spores over the entire area including the village, which was practically devoid of people, turning everything white as a result. While he plowed his way through Knights of the Underworld which appeared throughout the forest, his mind was torn. He hated Merlina for what she did, but at the same time Lancelot felt in debt to her for saving him from the Black Knight's wrath.

"Well, obviously, the reason she saved you was so you'd help Sonic get the Scabbard away from King Arthur," Shawn said appearing in front of Lancelot in astral form.

"I agree," Shadow said as he appeared next to Shawn. "If Merlina has the ability to see the future, then she knew you were still useful to her plans."

"Those things may be true, but it would go against my chivalric code to not feel grateful to Merlina even though she did betray us," Lancelot argued.

"To heck with chivalry!" Shawn snapped. "Merlina was playing all you knights for fools, including your king."

"How dare you speak that way about Sir Sonic!" Lancelot said raising his sword Arondight. "I would kill you right now if you had physical form."

"You know all this bickering isn't going to get us to the Barrier Stone faster," Shadow noted.

"True, we must stick to our course," Lancelot said and concentrated on the enemies in front of him.

"Fine, but I still stand by what I said," Shawn said as he vanished.

"Was Shawn as rude to you as he is to me?" Lancelot asked Shadow.

"Pretty much," Shadow said. "Though to be fair, I was controlling his body for a long time before he realized it."

"What for?"

"It's a long story, but the short of it is that I was protecting him from a dark force that would've made him to do evil things if I wasn't in control."

"Then he should be grateful to you."

"He hasn't gotten to that point yet, but I think he will someday."

Then as Shadow's apparition vanished, Lancelot continued slaying more Knights of the Underworld.

###

By daybreak, Lancelot had reached the Barrier Stone in the heart of Shrouded Forest. It was a tall monolith-shaped rock with a stone anvil before it that had a wide enough slot for a sword to fit in. Without hesitation, Lancelot plunged Arondight into the slot which caused the Barrier Stone to turn red as a series of letters appeared in a language only Lancelot could understand.

"'This stone is but part of the ring that seals the Dark Hollow,'" Lancelot recited.

"Dark Hollow?" Shawn asked as his apparition appeared.

"Is this thing referring to Merlina?" Shadow wondered appearing after Shawn did.

"It is, but I think it's referring to something else," Lancelot said gravely. "Something Merlina will do in the near future."

###

While Lancelot was in Shrouded Forest, Sir Gawain made his way to Great Megalith, which was west of Avalon. From the Albion coastline which curved in an arc-shape, Great Megalith was an ancient fort that lay in an open field of grass and stones. But by the time Gawain got there, the place was overrun by Knights of the Underworld and most of the people who were there which consisted mainly of tourists where imprisoned inside large wagons. Gawain made his way through the fort quietly by gliding on the winds allowing him to attack unsuspecting Knights in the process. He then proceeded to free the prisoners, claiming it was all part of the show the tourists seemed to assume was going on regarding the kidnapping under advice given to him by Chuck. Knuckles, on the other hand, was not amused.

"I should be the one saving those people, not him," Knuckles pouted in apparition form.

"I know, Knuckles, but you've got to lighten up," Chuck said next to him. "Gawain's the only one who can unlock the Barrier Stone because he has a Sacred Sword."

"Quiet, spirits!" Gawain commanded. "We're here."

Gawain had entered a large underground chamber where a monolith-shaped stone stood. He approached a small anvil and plunged the twin swords of Galatine into it. The stone turned red and words appeared on the surface.

"'When the Sacred Sword pierces stone, so shall return the Power,'" Gawain said reciting the words.

"What power?" Knuckles asked sarcastically. "The power to trap Merlina's magic?"

"No, it's referring to a different kind of power which can only come from Excalibur, the greatest of all Sacred Swords," Gawain answered.

"Oh, yeah," Chuck noted. "King Arthur had the Scabbard only, but not the sword. But surely one can't exist without the other being present, right?"

"That is correct," Gawain said. "In order for the Scabbard of Excalibur to exist, then the sword must be present as well."

###

In a volcano-ridden valley known as The Cauldron which lay to the east of Avalon, Sir Percival was charging through an empty village occupied by Knights of the Underworld while she avoided falling into the pools of lava below. Yet even in the deepest part of the valley, Percival found a circular patch of fresh green grass with a monolith stone standing erect. At its feet, there was an anvil with a sword-shaped hole in it.

"This must be the Barrier Stone," Percival said as she plunged her fencing sword Laevatein into the sword-shaped hole.

The stone turned orange-red as words appeared.

"'Though the Power may be weak, the Fighting Spirit shall not falter,'" Percival said out loud.

"What does that mean?" Blake and Blaze asked in unison.

"I do not know, but it must be important," Percival replied.

###

On the southernmost tip of the Albion bay known as Dragon's Lair, Sonic made his way through a crystalline cave filled with Knights of the Underworld. As he made his way deeper, the temperatures seemed to get hotter. Then he got to a dark tunnel and heard enormous footsteps followed by a loud roar as a crimson wingless dragon appeared.

"I thought Nimue said the dragon wasn't real," Sonic said.

"She meant what she said," Caliburn said. "This dragon must've been created more recently by Merlina's magic."

"Well, here goes nothing!" Sonic shouted as he charged at the dragon while avoiding the fireballs it coughed at him.

Sonic then jumped onto the brim of the dragon's snout and slashed its top horn several times till it broke off. In response, the dragon roared in pain as it keeled over and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Inside the tunnel the dragon came from, Sonic discovered a monolith stone and a square anvil at its feet.

"Looks just like the Barrier Stone I encountered on the World of Camelot," Sonic said as he positioned Caliburn above the anvil. "Now let's see if it really works."

After plunging Caliburn into the sword-shaped hole in the anvil, the monolith stone lit up as words appeared on its surface.

"'When the Fighting Spirit triumphs, then shall the Kingdom see peace,'" Sonic said reciting the words on the stone. "Do you know what any of that means, Caliburn?"

"Either it's referring to our previous triumph, or a future one," Caliburn answered.

A sudden shaking of the ground caused Sonic to run out of the cave and into the open air where he saw the darkening sky over Avalon continuing to grow darker.

"Shouldn't that cloud be getting smaller?" Sonic asked.

"Perhaps the magic barrier is too weak after all," Caliburn said.

"Then we have no choice but to face Merlina ourselves," Sonic said. "You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Caliburn replied.

To be continued…


	92. Chapter 92: Control

Chapter 92: Control

Upon entering the throne-room in the newly restored ruins of Avalon's castle, Sonic found Merlina seated on an hourglass-shaped chair at the end of the hall. Her hair had gone from light pink to dark purple and her skin was paler than before. Even her robes had changed, which now took on a midnight blue color with white feathers along the sleeves and collar of her neck.

"Welcome to Avalon, Sir Sonic," Merlina said as she rose from her chair, staring at him with eyes that had gone from blue to gold. "I've been expecting you."

"Merlina, why did you do this?" Sonic said defensively. "Did my previous advice not mean anything?"

"I tried to live for the present after you left," Merlina said quietly. "But when my world finally came to its natural end, I felt bitter about not being able to do a thing about it."

"But that shouldn't give you the right to mess up this world, which happens to be my home in case you noticed!"

Merlina paused and then said, "You realize that is a contradictory statement, considering you're merely a spirit occupying a human host."

"Doesn't matter. It's still the same planet."

"But there are no animals with human-level intelligence and special abilities that are beyond scientific explanation. So in reality, Sonic, you and I are no different."

"No way!" Sonic snapped. "At least I'm trying to save this world. All you're doing is destroying it!"

"I haven't destroyed anything," Merlina said calmly. "I'm merely using the Scabbard's power to create an eternal twilight over this Kingdom, and eventually the world."

"Why? Just because you couldn't save your own world?"

"Exactly," Merlina nodded. "This version of your world will eventually end just as yours did eons ago. However, with the Scabbard, I will end the cycle of death and rebirth so that no one has to die again!"

"We can't live like that! A world without death would be an endless nightmare!"

"Then do you want to die? But if you do that, your host will perish as well. Let's hear what he thinks."

Reluctantly, Sonic changed back into Sonny. At once, Sonny charged at Merlina with Caliburn raised over his head. But she merely looked at him and an energy shield appeared around her. Sonny tried to penetrate the shield with Caliburn, but a bolt of electricity shocked him.

"Your efforts are futile," Merlina said as Sonny landed on his rear-end.

But Sonny got back up and charged at Merlina again. The shield appeared once more, and more bolts of electricity shocked him to the point of falling. Then before Sonny could get back up, Merlina summoned a colossal creature that looked like a spider with a large sword in its hand. It used the sword to strike down at Sonny, but Caliburn responded.

"Fool! A knight must stay on his guard!" Caliburn shouted as he blocked the sword from falling on Sonny's head.

Unfortunately, the sword the creature used was heavier and with a downward wave of Merlina's hand the creature's sword broke Caliburn in two.

"Caliburn!" Sonny shouted, holding the hilt up.

Caliburn's face did not move on the hilt's round surface.

Gritting his teeth, Sonny rushed at Merlina with the lower half of Caliburn still gripped in his hands. But the creature struck him down again and again. Sonny, now battered and bruised, wobbly rose to his feet.

"It's time to end this," Merlina said, and spread her arms out.

The creature now had a second sword in its other hand. With both swords, the creature beat Sonny around like a ragdoll till he fell to the cold stone floor. He heard distant voices calling his name, but their words were barely loud enough for him to understand.

"Sir Sonny! You've done enough!" said a voice that sounded like Percival's.

"No, Sonny! There's no point in continuing!" a voice like Lancelot's snapped.

"A knight…never flees…from his foe, right?" Sonny said as he got to his feet wearily.

"You fool! This no longer has anything to do with chivalry!" cried a voice that was reminiscent of Gawain's.

"Get out of there! Run!" shouted a voice that was like Nimue's.

"This has nothing to do with chivalry," Sonny said, facing Merlina who looked at him quizzically. "I'm just doing what I think is right!"

All of a sudden, Sonny was bathed by a golden light that came from above. He stared in wonder as he body was covered head to toe in golden shining armor that glimmered like sunlight. The sword that was once Caliburn had now reformed itself and was now golden-colored with a more elaborately decorated hilt than before.

"That's…the greatest of the Sacred Swords, Excalibur!" Merlina exclaimed as the golden light vanished. "I should've known it would be present along with the Scabbard!"

"Well, too bad for you!" Sonny said and charged once more as the throne-room disintegrated into a black void.

"I was just about to say the same thing," Merlina said as she merged with the creature that had the two swords in its hands. "As the Dark Queen, I shall destroy you!"

As Sonny charged at her, the Dark Queen parried him with her swords. Then once an opening appeared, Sonny slashed at the giant red eye that occupied the Dark Queen's chest. As she cried in pain, Sonny flew back. At a safe distance, Sonny held up the sword Excalibur as a circle of yellow light appeared around it.

"It's over, now!" Sonny cried, and flew at the Dark Queen through a ring of golden circles. "Legend says Excalibur can cut through anything, including you!"

As Sonny flew right through the Dark Queen, he emerged out the other side unscathed. Seconds later, a trail of black blood flew from the Dark Queen's mid-drift. Then as she exploded in a dark purple energy blast, the void disappeared and the throne-room reappeared in the ruinous state it was in prior to Merlina's redecoration. While Sonny was back to normal without the armor, Excalibur was gone along with Caliburn and Merlina was back to the way she was before with the Scabbard being apparently gone as well. But as Sonic approached Merlina, he noticed that her ears were no longer pointed and her clothes had changed again from medieval-style robes to a modern-looking blouse and knee-length skirt that were the same shade of magenta.

"Merlina Camelot?" Sonny asked in bewilderment.

"Yes," Merlina said and tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. The wizard Merlina took over me after I fell into shock when I saw King Arthur – I mean, the Black Knight, kill my grandfather in front of me. He took us into this very room, a few days ago, claiming that the Scabbard Professor Pickle gave him now made him invincible. Not believing him, my grandfather tried to take the Scabbard away from King Arthur causing him to transform into the Black Knight and slay his own advisor. He tried to kill me too, and so I gave the wizard Merlina control of my body. I didn't know she was going to kill King Arthur, nor betray you and the other Knights and use the Scabbard's power to take over this Kingdom. I just—

"You didn't know," Sonny interrupted, helping Merlina to her feet. "That's all I needed to hear."

###

Later that day, Sonny and Merlina found the others at the lake in Deep Woods. Seeing the lack of animal ears and tails as well as armor and swords, everyone was back to normal including Amelia who was no longer wearing the blue dress but the pink one instead. All of them stared at Sonny and Merlina with confused and baffled looks.

"Sonny!" Amelia cried out. "You're alive!"

"What is _she_ doing here?" Shawn said, approaching Merlina.

Frightened, Merlina hid behind Sonny.

"Hey, chill out, Shawn," Sonny said holding Shawn back. "This isn't Merlina the Wizard. She's Merlina Camelot, the host."

"How do you know that?" Shawn asked.

"Look at her," Sonny said, standing aside so Shawn could see her in full profile.

"She's no longer wearing the robes," Shawn noted.

"Her pointed ears are gone," Chuck said.

"And she doesn't have that magic staff," Blake added.

"What happened to the spirits?" Sonny asked.

"They suddenly left us, and so did the swords and armor," Shawn answered.

"And the dress," Amelia said.

"It's possible that when Sonny defeated Merlina the Wizard, he destroyed all her spells," Miles suggested. "So that means Lancelot, Percival, Gawain, Nimue, and the Blacksmith didn't originally immigrate from their home-world when it was destroyed. They were brought back from the dead by Merlina in order to serve their intended purposes which resulted in her obtaining the Scabbard of Excalibur."

"But it also apparently led to her own demise as well," Sonny said.

"She's not dead," Merlina said causing everyone to stare at her. "I can still feel her presence within me."

"Then wear these," Shawn said, taking off the Inhibitor Rings around his wrists and giving them to Merlina.

"Shawn!" Blake exclaimed.

"The rings will keep your spirit in check and possibly from taking over your body again if it's weak enough," Shawn said, placing the Inhibitor Rings on Merlina's wrists.

"Why are you doing this?" Merlina asked. "I don't deserve any kindness considering what I've done."

"Don't mistaken this for kindness. I'm just trying to keep your spirit from causing anymore trouble," Shawn answered. "Now you'll have to come with me, Blake, and Chuck back to G. U. N. headquarters so the Commander can hear your side of the story and not blame you for what happened here."

"I see," Merlina said, lowering her head. "Then let's go now and get it over with."

"A wise choice," Blake said.

As Merlina, Blake, and Chuck gathered around Shawn he held out his hands so they could grab them. Then he said, "Chaos Control!" and the four of them were gone in a flash of light.

"Well, that's that," Sonny said, turning to Amelia who scowled at him in response. "Amelia? What's wrong?"

"You are coming with me to Llundain, Albion's capital city, and taking the first available flight back to Central City," Amelia said taking Sonny by the arm.

"But Amelia, I don't have any money for a plane ticket," Sonny pointed out.

"That's fine. Professor Pickle will pay for it," Amelia said glaring at Professor Pickle.

"Yes, yes, of course," Professor Pickle said sheepishly. "One mustn't completely dismiss one's studies."

To be continued…


	93. Chapter 93: Competition

**In this next story-arc, I'm going to be mixing elements from both** _ **Sonic Riders**_ **and** _ **Sonic Free Riders**_ **because while I personally like the latter game better due to it feeling more like a racing game story-wise than its predecessors, the former game properly introduces the Babylon Rogues and establishes their relationship to Sonic and his friends. Now the reason I'm skipping over** _ **Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity**_ **is because to me it felt like an unnecessary sequel with a plot that was even more ridiculous than the first game. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy the next few chapters!**

Chapter 93: Competition

After an uninteresting fall and spring semester following the events of summer break before senior year, Sonny had finally graduated high-school. He didn't get as good grades as Miles who passed all his finals with A's, but his parents were still proud of him. They came to his graduation ceremony and spent the day with him before heading back to their overseas jobs. Now towards the end of his summer after graduating, he, Miles, and Chuck decided to pay a visit to the newly rebuilt Station Square which had been renamed Metal City.

"Whoa," Sonny said looking at all the holographic billboards, hover-cars, and metallic skyscrapers that shined brightly even at night. "This place has changed a lot since I was last here."

"Well, it was all made possible by the new mayor King Doc," Miles said. "He financed all of Station Square's reconstruction, though no one's sure where he got the money for it."

"King Doc? What kind of a name is that?" Chuck said with a bemused smirk.

"Apparently, he's from the kingdom of Toreggmania which was established shortly after Eggmanland was destroyed."

"That seems odd," Sonny said. "How can a kingdom be established that quickly?"

"Beats me," Miles replied.

From the top floor of a skyscraper down the street, the sound of breaking glass was heard. Sonny and the others looked up and saw three humanoid figures riding skateboard-like devices through the air away from the building. A faint glimmer from one of the figure's hands caught Sonny's attention as he ran in pursuit. Using his unnatural speed, he eventually caught up to the three figures and stood in their way. Unfazed, the first figure who wore yellow-tinted goggles and had green spiky hair flew right past him and Sonny watched the spiky-haired guy go while Chuck pummeled the third figure off his skateboard-like device with one punch. Fortunately the third figure, who had slicked back gray hair and wore blue-tinted goggles, was saved another figure, a female with long purple hair wearing yellow-tinted sunglasses, before he hit the ground. The three figures then flew off into the sky while a hovering police-car pursued them.

"Thanks, Chuck," Sonny said.

"No problem," Chuck replied. "But watch your back next time."

"Hey, guys," Miles said, picking up the skateboard-like device that was dropped when the gray-haired guy fell off. "Take a look at this."

Sonny and Chuck walked over to see what Miles was looking at. The board itself was yellow with a black inner padding and two foot-presses on each end. On the back of the board was a golden insignia that depicted the outline of a bird-shaped lamp with clouds swirling around it.

"What is it?" Sonny asked.

"It's an Extreme Gear," Miles said. "I've seen these on TV lately. They're basically skateboards that hover off the ground and are only manufactured in this city."

"Okay, but what's so special about this particular board?" Sonny said.

Miles then pointed to the insignia on back of the board. "This insignia been appearing at the scene of various robberies that have been occurring all over the world in the past few years. I think those guys we encountered just now were the thieves that are responsible."

"Aw, man, and we let them get away," Chuck whined. "What kinds of things do they steal?"

"Treasures from various archeological sites which they sell for money," Miles said bitterly.

"That sounds awful," Chuck said. "But what could they have taken from that building that was so valuable?"

"A Chaos Emerald," Sonny said, causing Miles and Chuck to look at him. "Right before the green-haired guy flew past me, I saw the Green Chaos Emerald in one of his hands."

"If that's the case, we should let G. U. N. know about this," Miles said, and started dialing the Commander's phone-number.

###

After the Commander confirmed that he would be sending agents to Metal City as soon as possible, Sonny and the others decided to spend the night in a hotel near the city's outskirts since it was late. The next morning, a news broadcast about the robbery that was committed the previous night was suddenly interrupted by a large man with a blond moustache, fake blond hair, and wearing regal robes that were red in color along with a golden crown outlined in velvet red. His eyes were covered by a pair of black-tinted glasses and he was chuckling loudly.

" _Good morning, citizens of Metal City!_ " the large man bellowed. " _This is King Doc speaking, and I have a special announcement I wish to make!_ "

"Who's this clown?" Chuck asked as he stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Shush!" Miles said, sitting with Sonny on the couch in front of the TV. "Let's hear what he has to say."

" _In the next few days, we will be holding a special tournament called the EX World Grand Prix!_ " King Doc announced boldly. " _It's a worldwide competition where teams of three race against one another on a series of pre-determined tracks and the winning team is rewarded with a disgustingly large cash prize and a mountain of treasures beyond your wildest dreams! Now in order to compete in this tournament, you must not only sign up in teams of three but also bring your own Extreme Gear which can be purchased at your city's local Extreme Gear shop. But this year, you will also need something else: one of these seven large gemstones that are known as Chaos Emeralds._ "

As King Doc spoke, a diagram showing images of all seven Chaos Emeralds appeared below him.

" _Bring these things, and you have a shot at beating our current champions!_ " King Doc said, and images of three young-adults riding hovering skateboards appeared as he recited their names. " _Sky Albatross, the Storm Bringer, Wade Swallow, the Wave Breaker, and Jet Hawkins, the Wind Demon. Together, they are known as Team Babylon and are considered by many to be the best Extreme Gear riders on the planet!_ "

"Wait a second," Sonny said. "Don't they look like the guys we ran into last night?"

"Yeah, you're right," Chuck said. "The guy I punched had the same gray hair as Sky does."

"Wade has the same glasses as the girl who carried the big guy away," Miles noted. "And her hair is the same shade of purple."

"The guy who flew past me was definitely Jet," Sonny said, glaring at Jet's profile. "Not only does he have the same green hair but that grin of his was the same look he gave me last night."

"Then let's call G. U. N. and tell them we found the thieves who stole the Chaos Emerald and those archeological treasures," Chuck said to Miles.

"We can't do that," Miles replied. "We'll need more proof if we're going to convict Team Babylon."

"But what about the board we took?" Chuck asked, looking at the hotel closet where the yellow board was hidden. "Doesn't that count as evidence?"

"It could, but Team Babylon will mostly likely accuse us of theft and turn our accusations against us."

"Then let's enter the EX World Grand Prix," Sonny suggested. "If we compete alongside them, we're bound to find some evidence that'll pin down Team Babylon."

"And it'll give us the opportunity to make them pay for what they did," Chuck said enthusiastically.

"Then we'd better start looking for a Chaos Emerald if we want to enter," Miles said getting off the couch. "And we'll need to buy an Extreme Gear for each of us."

To be continued…


	94. Chapter 94: Pushover

Chapter 94: Pushover

"What?!" Sonny exclaimed once the Extreme Gear shop owner tallied the amount for the three Extreme Gears he, Miles, and Chuck picked out. "1,500 dollars?!"

"That's right," the shop owner said casually. "Each Extreme Gear costs 500 dollars each and since there's three of you, that adds up to a total of 1,500 dollars for the three Extreme Gears you purchased. Will you be paying with cash or credit?"

Before Sonny could reply, Miles said, "Is it possible for us to trade an Extreme Gear for the three we want?"

"Well, sure," the shop owner replied. "Depending on how much the Gear you want to trade is worth, it could be substituted as payment for your Extreme Gears but you'll need something really good in order to do that."

"Like this?" Miles said and lifted Sky's Extreme Gear onto the counter.

The shop owner examined the board carefully and then he exclaimed, "This is an S-Type Gear, and in good condition too!"

"So how much is it worth?" Miles asked.

"About…5,000 dollars," the store owner said after a pause. "I could trade it for the total amount your Extreme Gears cost but I don't have enough change for—

"Deal!" Miles said, and grabbed his Extreme Gear while Sonny and Chuck took theirs. "We'll be on our way, then."

"Oh, but don't you want any of these cool sunglasses or goggles to go with your Gears?" the store owner said, pointing to a rack that had the objects he was describing. "I could add them to your trade free of charge."

"Sure," Sonny said, and picked up a pair of green-tinted sunglasses. "I had my eye on these since we entered the store."

"Same here," Chuck said taking a purple-lensed pair of ski goggles.

"Fair enough," Miles said and took a pair of ordinary goggles. "And you can keep the change, mister. We don't need it."

While the store owner stood baffled, the three boys left the shop with Extreme Gears in their hands and eye-ware on their heads.

"Are you sure that was a good idea, Miles? Trading an Extreme Gear we technically stole from one of the members of Team Babylon for ours?" Sonny said as soon as they were outside the shop.

"Then would you rather have paid 1,500 dollars for the Gear plus 60 for the eye-ware?" Miles asked rhetorically. "Besides, Team Babylon deserves a taste of their own medicine and that's what we just did."

"How?" Chuck asked.

"Because they steal artifacts and sell them for money, I think it's only fair that they have something of theirs stolen and sold for money," Miles said coldly.

"That's pretty cruel thinking, Miles," Chuck said. "I like it. Now all we need is a Chaos Emerald and we're good to enter the tournament, right?"

"You and I will search the city for one with my Emerald Detector," Miles said pulling out the hand-held radio-shaped device. "Sonny, if you could head back to the secret hangar outside Central City and grab some tools for me that would be great."

"What do you need tools for?" Sonny asked.

"I think our Gears need to be modified to suit our individual abilities," Miles replied.

"Why? They look fine to me," Chuck said as he examined his Gear.

"If we're to win against the best Gear riders in the world, we need our Gears to be in top-shape," Miles said.

"You're really determined to bring Team Babylon down," Sonny noted. "Are you sure you're not taking what they've done a little too personally?"

"I'm fine, Sonny," Miles said in an annoyed tone. "Now go get the tools already. We're wasting time!"

"All right, fine, I'm going," Sonny said, and dashed off.

###

A couple days later, the EX World Grand Prix was underway. Crowds of people lined up along closed-off streets that were going be used in the first race-track of the tournament, while the actual riders were lined up in a packed stadium for the Opening Ceremony. After King Doc gave his opening speech via webcam, a small robot that resembled a Chao with a propeller attached to its head that kept it afloat appeared holding a normal-sized microphone in its round hand.

" _Hi, everyone!_ " the little robot said in a squeaky voice as crowds cheered. " _My name_ _'_ _s Omochao, and I_ _'_ _ll be your eyes in the sky providing live commentary while our teams of fierce riders race along pre-determined tracks around the world for your entertainment! Now for those of you who aren_ _'_ _t familiar with Extreme Gear racing, here is a quick breakdown of the rules: each team will race three laps around our selected track and the first three to cross the finish-line on the last lap win, but if one member of the team should lose the whole team will be dropped from the tournament. Riders may use their Gear to push others out of the way, but not their hands and any rider who is caught pushing another off their Gear will automatically be disqualified. Tricks are encouraged to replenish the air that pumps through the Gears and keeps them afloat, because otherwise the Gears will run out of air and fall to the ground. If that should occur, the rider of the Gear that falls is dropped from the race. There will also be no foul play or cheating allowed. We want a nice clean tournament for everyone to enjoy. Now let_ _'_ _s meet our teams for this year_ _'_ _s_ _EX World Grand Prix!_ "

As each team flew around the stadium on their Gears, Omochao introduced each one. Then once that was done, the crowds made their way out of the stadium to the sidewalks while the two teams that were selected for the first race made their way to the starting-line which was located inside a tunnel at the top of a sloped street. After the teams were assembled and the crowds were cheering, Omochao's voice silenced them all.

" _All right! For the first race of the Ex World Grand Prix, we have two newbie teams. On the right side of the track we have Team Heroes which consists of Sonny, the Speed Demon, Miles, the Flying Ace, and Chuck, the Knuckle Buster. In this round, they will be facing off against Team Rose on the left side of the track which includes Amelia, the Sonic Maiden, C_ _r_ _è_ _me_ _, the Spring Rabbit, and Victor, the Snapping Crocodile._ "

"I can't believe this," Chuck said irritably. "We have to go up against _them_ of all people?"

"Don't worry, Chuck," Miles said assuredly. "This just means an easy victory for us."

"I heard that!" Victor snapped, wearing the same green sweatpants and hoodie along with the signature headphones. "You don't think we've got what it takes to beat you guys? How long have you been practicing on your Extreme Gears?"

"Two days, Victor," Miles replied. "And we were able to complete a dozen laps around the city in just five minutes without scratching our Gears!"

As the crowd gawked, Victor gave a sharp laugh. "Two days? The girls and I have been practicing on our Gears for the past few weeks! Let's see if you can top that."

While Victor wasn't looking, Crème whispered to Miles. Unlike her usual attire, she was wearing an orange top with a yellow star on it, matching sweatpants, and a yellow visor. "Please go easy on us. We've actually only been practicing since yesterday."

"Don't encourage them, Crème!" Amelia said firmly. She wore a pink and white sports-top and pink sweats to match. "I want to win this race fair and square. But if my team wins, Sonny, you'll have to take me out on a date afterwards."

The crowd made a series of 'oohs' in response, causing Sonny to flinch. "So that's why you joined this tournament. I wish I had known sooner."

"Well, too late now!" Amelia said as she smirked. "May the best rider win!"

" _Riders,_ " Omochao said as three traffic lights blinked red above the street. " _On your mark_ _…_ _get set_ _…_ _GO!_ "

As the traffic lights turned green, both teams got onto their Extreme Gears and hovered down the street to the cheering of crowds along the side-lines. While Sonny made his way into the lead quite easily, Amelia was right behind him for a good stretch of the track. So Chuck tried to cut Amelia off by ramming into the side of her Gear, but he was soon rammed into by Victor who nearly knocked him off with one shove. This in turn forced Chuck to draw back which caused Victor to nearly hit Amelia but stopped himself at the last minute. Meanwhile, Miles attempted to fly higher to get ahead of Crème but she managed to block him by flying high as well.

" _It looks like this first lap is going to go to Team Rose_ ," Omochao commented. " _Though Sonny_ _'_ _s clearly in the lead, Amelia is close behind along with Victor while Miles and C_ _r_ _è_ _me_ _are tied for fourth place with Chuck bringing up the rear. If Team Heroes is going to win this race, they_ _'_ _re going to need to pick up the pace and reach the top three spots in the next two laps!_ "

Spurred by Omochao's words, Chuck made his way past Miles and Crème during the second lap and rammed into Victor's Gear from behind. Because he was unprepared for it, Victor lost his balance and almost fell off his Gear. Fortunately, he caught himself at the last minute but by the time he recovered Chuck was already ahead of him. Miles then managed to catch up as well after using a series of mid-air flips to get over Crème. The trick surprised Crème so much that she yelped, which caused Amelia to slow down to see what was wrong which allowed Sonny to cross the finish-line with Miles and Chuck behind him.

" _Nice recovery!_ " Omochao exclaimed. " _It looks like Team Heroes managed to catch up to the first three slots while Team Rose has faltered behind. So with one victory for each team, the final lap will determine who the winner of this race is!_ "

While Sonny maintained his place in the lead position, Miles and Chuck worked together to keep Amelia's team from catching up. While Miles took on Crème again, Chuck was busy dealing with both Amelia and Victor closer to the ground. Though Victor tried to ram into him again, Chuck used a mid-air flip to avoid collision. As a result, Victor accidentally hit Amelia's Gear which caused her to fall off. Concerned, Victor managed to catch Amelia before she hit the glassy street below while Crème noticed and flew back to help. This in turn caused Sonny and his friends to continue on down the track and across the finish-line without any competition.

" _Wow, what a win!_ " Omochao cried. " _With two laps completed, Team Heroes wins the first race of the Ex World Grand Prix tournament! If Amelia and Victor hadn_ _'_ _t accidentally collided with one another, they might_ _'_ _ve had a shot at winning. Fortunately, it looks like Amelia is unhurt as Victor and C_ _r_ _è_ _me_ _came to her rescue. A great show of teamwork, but too bad they couldn_ _'_ _t use it to win the race. Better luck next time, Team Rose!_ "

As Sonny, Miles, and Chuck slowed down the crowd cheered loudly at them as pictures were snapped and their names were called.

" _So, Team Heroes,_ " Omochao said as he flew towards them with his microphone in hand. " _How does it feel to win your first Extreme Gear race?_ "

"It feels…" Sonny looked past Omochao at Amelia, who was getting to her feet with help from Victor and Crème. Once she noticed him watching, Amelia smiled which caused Sonny to say, "…Great."

" _Think you got what it takes to go up against Team Babylon?_ " Omochao asked.

"Absolutely!" Chuck replied. "Just you wait and see! We'll beat those guys in no time!"

A series of murmurs past through the crowd, followed by some cheers.

" _It seems you guys are pretty confident in yourselves,_ " Omochao said unfazed by the slight tension in the air. " _Would you mind telling us how you were able to beat Team Rose so easily?_ "

"With my mechanical expertise and a little bit of research into Gear technology, I was able to modify our Gears to suit our unique abilities," Miles bragged. "Sonny's Gear Blue Star, for instance, is able to go at top-speeds without exhausting maximum amounts of air, while Chuck's Gear Red Rock is able to hit other Gears without getting damaged too easily, and my own Gear Yellow Tail is able to fly higher than most Gears."

" _Very impressive!_ " Omochao said, and then he turned towards the television camera that was facing him. " _Well, there you have it, folks! A trio of confident riders with a young mechanical genius among them! Let us know if you think these guys have what it takes to take on Team Babylon on our website at or sent letters to our mailbox at PO Box 2006 Egg Factory, Metal City. So until the next race, which will be held in Splash Canyon next week, this is Omochao signing off!_ "

To be continued…


	95. Chapter 95: Rivalry

Chapter 95: Rivalry

At the foot of Splash Mountain, Sonny and his teammates were walking along a path made of wooden planks when Amelia suddenly came running towards them. At first, Sonny was surprised to see her. But instead of turning away, he averted Amelia's gaze as she walked up to him.

"Hey, Sonny!" Amelia said cheerfully. But when she noticed he wasn't looking at her, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I saw you nearly got hurt, right before my team won the race in Metal City," Sonny said slowly. "So I thought that maybe…you were mad at me, for winning without showing concern for you."

"Of course not!" Amelia replied irritably. "That wasn't your fault. Victor was just being a clumsy oaf. Besides, the only reason I joined the tournament was because I wanted to keep my eye on you which I can still do even though my team lost."

Sonny flinched in response. "But what about Victor and Crème? How do they feel?"

"Crème was a bit worried, but once she realized I was fine she went back to her usual cheerful self. Victor was a little bitter because he wanted the cash-prize, until he remembered that Espen and Charles have a chance of getting it in his place."

"Oh, yeah, they're a part of Team Shadow with that guy…what's his name?"

"Michael Armadillo, who now runs the South Island branch of the Chaotix Detectives since Victor, Charles, and Espen moved to Central City."

"I see."

"Now since I lost, I'm not going to ask you to take me on a date but I do want to know why _you_ guys signed up for the tournament."

Sonny looked at Miles and Chuck, who nervously nodded. "Well, uh, we…think that Team Babylon may be responsible for stealing priceless artifacts and selling them for money."

"Is that so?"

Sonny looked to his right and saw a tall girl walking towards him from behind a tree next to the path. She had sky-blue eyes, long purple hair flowing underneath a white bandana she had wrapped around her head, wore a white tank-top and matching sweatpants with purple flames near the ends, gold bracelets with inlaid rubies, and a necklace with a ruby attached to it. Everyone regarded her with surprised looks, especially Miles.

"Wade Swallow," Miles said nervously.

"Yeah?" the girl responded.

"What are you…doing here?"

"I was on my way to see the next race," Wade responded, and glared at Sonny. "Now what's this about accusing Team Babylon of stealing artifacts?"

"Uh, nothing," Sonny said avoiding Wade's gaze. "Just a rumor we've been hearing lately."

Wade scuffed. "How do I know you didn't start the rumor yourself? After all, you did declare on worldwide television that your team would beat mine 'in no time'?"

"Why would I start a ridiculous rumor like that?" Sonny asked, trying to sound calm.

"To make my team look bad," Wade answered.

"Hey!" Amelia said defensively. "Sonny wouldn't do such a thing."

"Oh, and how do you know?" Wade asked sarcastically.

"Because he's my boyfriend," Amelia answered.

"Wow, really?" Wade looked at Sonny then back to Amelia. "Is that why you joined the tournament? To follow your precious man even though you and your teammates are lousy Gear riders?"

As Amelia gritted her teeth, Wade made her way over to Miles and examined the blue Gear he was holding in his hands. "So this must be the famous Blue Star Gear I've heard about. It's highly unusual in its design."

"I customized it myself," Miles said cooly.

After a few minutes of examining the bottom-half of the Gear, Wade suddenly started laughing sharply.

"What's so funny?" Chuck asked irritably.

"If you think you can take on my team with pieces of junk like this, you'll be in for a surprise," Wade said and gave Blue Star back to Miles. "That is, if you get that far. Later, losers!"

As Wade walked away, everyone glared at her from behind.

"I hate that girl!" Amelia growled.

"Yeah, what gives her the right to come here and make fun of Miles' craftsmanship?" Chuck said angrily.

"Or to accuse us of something we didn't do?" Sonny said.

"Guys, we have bigger problems on our hands," Miles said wearily. "Now that Team Babylon knows we're on to them, they might try to prevent us from winning the tournament."

"How?" Chuck said.

"I don't know, but we should be cautious," Miles said.

###

Inside a tunnel made of wood and glass, huge crowds were gathered on either side of the track where the next two teams were assembled. While Shawn was basically wearing a black undershirt and jeans with the addition of new sunglasses, Rouge wore a black tank-top and matching sweatpants with white flowers on the ends. Next to them stood a round bulky robot with blue and white paint that reminded Sonny of the robots Dr. Eggman used to invade South Island. To the robot's left, the team consisted of familiar faces. One had ash-blond hair and a purple shirt on, while the second had spiky green hair and a red neckerchief, and the third had medium-length light-blond hair and a green scarf.

" _All right, folks!_ " Omochao said enthusiastically. " _The second race of the EX World Grand Prix is about to begin, and it looks like we_ _'_ _re in for a good one! One my right, we have newcomers Team Dark which consist of Shawn, the Shadow Blazer, Rouge, the Aerial Bombshell, and E-10000B, the Powerhouse. Today, they will be racing against Team Hooligan who include Nack the Fanged Weasel, Beanie the Dynamite Duck, and Barker the Polar Bear. Will Team Dark be able to take on Team Hooligan, who were runner-ups in previous World Grand Prix tournaments, or will Team Hooligan ultimately triumph? Let_ _'_ _s find out!_ "

"Wait a minute," Chuck murmured as he pointed to the members of Team Hooligan. "I know those guys. They were the same boxers who competed in the South Island School Boxing Challenge seven years ago."

"No way," Miles exclaimed as he recognized them.

" _Riders,_ " Omochao announced. " _On your mark_ _…_ _get set_ _…_ _GO!_ "

As the two teams took off down the track, the holographic television screens showed their progress as they made their way along seaside cliffs, through jungle-infested forests and waterfalls that led into dimly lit tunnels.

"Seems like they took up a new hobby since we last saw them," Sonny said as he watched the screens. "But what puzzles me more is why Team Dark isn't getting called out for having a robot on their team. Are robots even allowed to compete in these tournaments?"

"The World Grand Prix handbook doesn't mention robots not being allowed, so I guess it's legal," Miles said holding up a small booklet. "Yet if that's the case, why didn't Shawn and Rouge just have Omega be on their team?"

"Yeah, that does seem kind of weird," Sonny replied. "I guess they just didn't want to draw too much attention to themselves since they're investigating Team Babylon for G. U. N.."

"Well, that would explain why Team Dark is competing in the tournament to begin with," Miles said. "And the Commander didn't bother to tell us because he didn't want the enemy to know that we know who they are."

"So where does Team Neo fit in?" Chuck asked as he looked inside the booklet where images of Silva, Blake, and Omega were placed under the page labeled 'Team Neo'.

"My guess is that they are Team Dark's backup group," Miles said. Then he gasped, "But that means…we'll have to compete against Team Dark if they defeat Team Hooligan in this race, and Team Neo after that."

"Oh, brother," Chuck said shaking his head as he watched Rouge outmaneuver Beanie in the air on her Gear.

"Hey, come on, guys," Sonny said. "It doesn't matter who we go up against, whether they be friends or enemies, because we're trying to reach Team Babylon so we can incriminate them."

"But Sonny," Amelia said abruptly. "Wouldn't it be easier to just forfeit and let Team Dark and Neo deal with incriminating Team Babylon?"

"Amelia has a point," Miles agreed. "We asked G. U. N. to look into the matter, and so logically we should let them do their job without us interfering."

"I know, Miles, but I can't just stand down and let someone else take on Team Babylon," Sonny said defensively. "We said we'd beat them, and they in turn sent someone to insult us in turn. It would make us look like cowards if we backed out now. So, I say we continue to stay in the tournament whether we have to up against Team Dark or not."

"I'll second that decision," Chuck said. "Plus, us forfeiting will only draw unnecessary attention to Team Dark and Neo which might cause their covers to be blown."

"You know for once you're actually right, Chuck," Miles realized. "If we forfeit before the next race, that will make Team Dark look suspicious if they end up beating Team Hooligan. Therefore, it would make sense for us to stay in the race so Team Babylon focuses on us and not the other teams."

"Exactly," Sonny said.

On the screens, Shawn was in the lead while Rouge was busy trying to keep Beanie from catching up as E-10000B was being rammed on both sides by Nack and Barker.

" _Oh, my!_ " said the voice of Omochao from the screens. " _Despite Team Dark managing to get through the first and second laps without too much trouble, Team Hooligan is starting to get rough with Team Dark_ _'_ _s Power-Type E-10000B. For those of you who don_ _'_ _t know, there are three different types of Extreme Gear riders assigned for every team. First, there is the Speed-Type who is generally the fastest rider out of the group, then there_ _'_ _s the Flight-Type who maneuvers higher in the air to either get around or block other riders, and finally the Power-Type who hits other riders in order to knock them off their Gears. So with this in mind, we have Team Dark_ _'_ _s Speed-Type in first place while each of the teams_ _'_ _Flight-Types are tied for second place and third place is up for grabs by Team Hooligan's Speed-Type and the Power-Types from both teams!_ "

Then to the crowd's surprise, E-10000B spun his Gear in circles causing Nack and Barker to be pushed away. As a result, Barker hit cliff-face they were hovering alongside while Nack maneuvered his Gear along the edge of the seaside cliff to catch up to Shawn. Unfortunately, Rouge intercepted him.

" _Wow, what a sudden turn of events!_ " Omochao said. " _Not only was E-10000 able to shake off Nack and Barker but Rouge has also managed to prevent Nack from getting into second place. But what_ _'_ _s this? Beanie is reaching into his pocket and is throwing what appears to be cherry bombs at Rouge!_ "

The crowd gasped as Rouge maneuvered around the bombs which exploded harmlessly on the ground. However, the resulting vibrations caused Nack to fall off his Gear while E-10000B was shaken up but still managed to hover right alongside Rouge as they crossed the finish-line with Shawn leading them. Beanie followed after cursing loudly to himself as he flew while Barker brought up the rear carrying Nack. Then the last thing to appear was Omochao as his robotic eyes blinked which in turn shut off the images on the holographic screens.

" _Boy, that last lap sure got exciting!_ " Omochao said enthusiastically. " _Though our races are no-holds-barred when it comes to using robots or explosives, Team Dark managed to come out on top with three wins over Team Hooligan_ _'_ _s score of zero! Thus, it is Team Dark who will be participating in the next race which will be against Team Heroes. So, Shawn, how does it feel to win your first World Grand Prix race?_ "

"Fine," Shawn said bluntly.

" _Anything else you_ _'_ _d like to say to the folks at home?_ " Omochao asked thrusting the microphone into Shawn's face.

"No," Shawn replied and walked away.

" _But what about next week_ _'_ _s match against Team Heroes? Do you feel confident that you_ _'_ _ll beat them?_ "

"Don't worry, pumpkin," Rouge said taking the mike from Omochao's fingerless hands. "With Shawn's speed, E-10's strength, and my beauty we'll win for sure!"

Then shortly after she spoke, sparks suddenly erupted from E-10000B's body causing him to make a series of strange noises and become limp.

" _It seems your robot friend is due for repairs,_ " Omochao said as he took the microphone from Rouge's hand. " _I_ _'_ _m sure it mustn_ _'_ _t be easy for a robot of his size to race so fast._ "

Rouge didn't reply as E-10000B was taken away by a pair of robots who looked just as round and bulky as he was except that they were red in color. Shawn briefly looked back, but continued to leave the track. Meanwhile, the crowd started to disperse as Omochao said his final words.

" _Well, that concludes the second race of the EX World Grand Prix! Tune in next week when two teams who_ _'_ _ve quickly become famous despite being newcomers to Extreme Gear riding take each other on inside the twisted molten maze of Egg Factory! This is Omochao, signing off!_ "

To be continued…


	96. Chapter 96: Heated

Chapter 96: Heated

"Man, this place really is a maze," Chuck said as he was walking down the dimly lit corridors of Egg Factory to where his team's race with Team Dark was about to begin.

Just as he turned a corner, he bumped into someone who was coming from the opposite direction and was knocked off-balance to the point of falling. The other person fell as well, and once Chuck recovered he saw who it was which turned out to be Sky Albatross of all people. His medium-length gray hair was slicked back from his wide brow where small sky-blue eyes shone in the dim light, while he wore a necklace with three shiny metal pieces attached to two gold chains that wrapped around his neck and blue-tinted goggles on his forehead. His attire consisted of yellow gloves, a gray sleeveless vest that was outlined in white feathers, gray shorts and sneakers with yellow straps. Unfortunately, Sky noticed him immediately and pointed an accusing finger just as Chuck did the same.

"You!" Chuck said at the same time as Sky did.

"You're the guy who punched me two weeks ago and stole my Gear!" Sky exclaimed.

"You're the guy who helped steal a Chaos Emerald and possibly dozens of priceless artifacts!" Chuck said in response as he got up.

"Oh, yeah, and how can you prove those things?" Sky responded as he also got to his feet. "Face it, kid, you've got nothing on Team Babylon!"

"I'm no kid!" Chuck clenched his fists. "Now take that back!"

"Make me!"

Gritting his teeth, Chuck thrust his left fist at Sky who immediately got out of the way and the punch ended up landing on a red-colored robot who resembled E-10000B.

As the robot swirled around in dizziness into a nearby wall, Sky laughed. "You call that a punch? Let me give you a demonstration of a real one!"

Sky wound his fist in a concentric circle before thrusting it at Chuck, who dodged the punch just as another red-colored robot appeared behind him. As a result, the robot was punched instead of Chuck and it fell over in a heap of bolts and metal. Surprised, Sky picked up his new Gear, which looked exactly like the Gear he had before Sonny and his teammates sold it, and took off down the hallway that ran perpendicular to the one Chuck came from.

"This isn't over yet!" Sky shouted to Chuck as he ran. "I'll beat you real good if your team makes it to the Finals! That's when you'll have to race against Team Babylon, and we've never been beaten in the five years since the EX World Grand Prix started!"

"Well, maybe this year it'll be different!" Chuck shouted at the retreating figure of Sky. When Sky didn't respond back, Chuck turned away and muttered, "Coward."

###

At the starting-line, Sonny was standing with his Gear in hand along with Miles. Shawn and Rouge were to his left and they seemed mildly irritated.

"Where's your new robot friend?" Sonny asked.

"Where's the knucklehead you call a teammate?" Rouge responded sarcastically.

"Guys," Miles said. "We want to bust Team Babylon just as much as you do, but it would be too risky if we just simply forfeited and let you continue to the Semi-Finals where you would be facing off against your own comrades."

"They don't care," Shawn said. "That's why we set it up this way."

"Besides, do you really think you've got what it takes to take us on considering that we practically creamed Team Hooligan, who were runner-ups in previous tournaments?" Rouge said just as Chuck showed up.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," Chuck said to Sonny and Miles. "I got lost on my way here, and then I ran into Sky from Team Babylon."

"Did he recognize you?" Miles asked.

"Yes, but he didn't seemed concerned about it saying we have nothing on his team and then he called me a kid and so I tried punching him," Chuck replied.

"Did he punch back?"

"After I accidentally hit a robot, but he punched one too after I dodged him."

"Then it's a good thing you dodged when you did," Sonny said.

"Yeah, wouldn't want my little knuckie hurt before we wipe the floor with you in this race," Rouge said as E-10000B appeared next to her. She turned to him and asked, "Where have you been?"

" _Getting_ _…_ _last minute_ _…_ _repairs,_ " E-10000B said jerkily.

"You don't sound so good," Rouge said.

" _I_ _'_ _m_ _…_ _fine_ _…_ _really,_ " E-10000B replied.

"If you say so," Shawn said. Then he turned to Sonny and said, "This is your last chance, Team 'Heroes'. You can drop out and save us a pointless race, or take us on and possibly lose?"

Sonny and his teammates stood firmly in their places as Omochao appeared.

" _Boy, it sure is hot in here!_ " Omochao said as he hovered above the riders' heads. " _But it_ _'_ _s just the perfect atmosphere for the heated competition we_ _'_ _re about to witness today, folks! On my left we have Team Heroes, who managed to beat Team Rose quite easily and dared to challenge Team Babylon on international TV! As a result, they_ _'_ _ve become popular fan favorites over the past two weeks. Unfortunately, so has Team Dark for notoriously missing the Opening Ceremony and beating the previous Grand Prix runner-up group Team Hooligan without breaking a sweat! The tensions are high, people! Which team will advance to the Semi-Finals? Let_ _'_ _s find out! Riders_ _…_ _on your mark_ _…_ _get set_ _…_ _GO!_ "

Immediately, Shawn and Sonny took off on their Gears at top-speed while Miles followed right behind with Rouge in pursuit while Chuck and E-10000B brought up the rear. They flew up the ramp ahead of them and over the river of molten metal without too much trouble and followed the metal track around the processing plants. About midway through the first lap, Miles tried to fly over Shawn to push him back but Rouge intercepted by spinning her Gear mid-air causing Miles to nearly fly off the track. Fortunately, he steadied himself and was approached from behind by E-10000B but Chuck blocked him by ramming into his Gear.

" _First lap of the race and the two teams are already at each other_ _'_ _s throats!_ " Omochao announced above them with the microphone in hand. As the things Omochao was seeing were being transmitted to the holographic television screens back at the starting-line, he said, " _While Chuck may have been able to prevent E-10000B from knocking Miles completely off the race-track, Rouge is still in second place as Shawn and Sonny are tied for first! Therefore, the first lap is a tie! If either team can win the next two laps, the tie will be broken. But if neither team is able to, they will have to race one extra lap!_ "

On the next lap, Sonny tried to ram into Shawn's Gear but he managed to avoid the blow by flipping his Gear sideways over Sonny's head and wound up right were Sonny was previously. In between the two boys appeared Rouge, who immediately rammed into Sonny's Gear. He was forced to pull back and was right alongside Miles when E-10000B pushed them out of the way with his gear and joined up with Rouge and Shawn up ahead.

" _Splendid teamwork!_ " Omochao exclaimed. " _Team Dark just pulled off what the fans are calling the Dead Man_ _'_ _s Cross! How it worked is that Shawn switched places with Sonny, allowing Rouge to maneuver between them and push Sonny back only for him to get hit from behind by E-10000B along with Miles, creating an invisible cross between Team Dark_ _'_ _s members by the time their maneuvers were complete. How will Team Heroes manage to compensate for this when Team Dark used this same strategy to beat Team Hooligan last week?_ "

After recovering from the blow, Sonny and Miles along with Chuck did a maneuver of their own. It started with Miles and Chuck crossing through the gap between Team Dark's members which distracted them long enough for Sonny to do a series of midair tricks and land back in the lead with Miles and Chuck catching up to him by the time the finish-line came up.

" _I don_ _'_ _t believe it!_ " Omochao said from above. " _What you just witnessed, folks, is a band-new team-based strategy never-before-seen in Extreme Gear racing before! Web response is off the charts and the fans have even started giving names for it. So far, the most popular name for this strategy is_ _…_ _Triple Threat! An appropriate name for a strategy which consisted of Miles and Chuck crossing paths with the other riders from opposing sides while Sonny made his way above all of them to get ahead of Team Dark while his teammates caught up behind him. With that surprising move, Team Heroes wins the second lap! If they win the second lap, the race is over!_ "

As Shawn's group started to catch up, Chuck blocked their path by swerving side-to-side in front of them. Unfortunately, Rouge and Shawn were able to move past Chuck between swerves, leaving him to deal with E-10000B alone. Meanwhile, Miles sought to do the same thing that Chuck did, but Shawn and Rouge easily got around him with two consecutive midair flips. So Miles followed with his own series of midair flips, putting himself in front of Rouge while Sonny did the same to Shawn. Chuck was able to catch up to them, but E-10000B was still on his tail. Then just as E-10000B was about to ram into Chuck from behind, sparks exploded from his body and he started to slow down. Unconcerned, Shawn and Rouge continued to pursue behind Sonny and Miles but were continuously blocked by Chuck. By the time they all crossed the finish-line, Sonny and Miles came first, followed by Shawn and Rouge, with Chuck following last.

" _Well, folks, I can safely say that Team Heroes wins this race!_ " Omochao said, causing all the riders to stop.

"Wait, what?" Rouge exclaimed and approached Omochao with an angry face. "Shawn and I were both in second place! Doesn't that count as a tie?"

" _It would have if E-10000B didn_ _'_ _t run out of gas and fall back several meters,_ " Omochao said, using his fingerless hand to point at E-10000B who had fallen face-first onto the track with sparks emanating from his body. " _Remember, if one member of your team loses, you all lose._ "

Rouge growled. "Rats! I knew that blue piece of junk would be useless."

"Useless? You practically begged him to be a part of our team," Shawn said bitterly.

"What else were we supposed to do? Drop out of the tournament completely because we were one member short?"

Before Shawn could respond, E-10000B suddenly exploded and from its remnants rose a familiar blue robot that looked human except for not having a mouth and electric red eyes. It briefly glared at the riders, particularly Sonny, as it took off on rocket-powered shoes much to the surprise of the crowd and Omochao. The robot flew to the top of the factory's domes and eventually found a smokestack to escape out of.

" _Wow, that was_ _…_ _unexpected!_ " Omochao said blinking for a few seconds. " _But nothing to worry, folks! E-10000B, or whatever he is now, will be caught soon enough by the proper authorities! In the meantime, Team Heroes will be advancing to the Semi-Finals of the World Grand Prix while Team Neo has their match against Team Shadow next week at Green Cave! Until then, this is Omochao, signing off!_ "

To be continued…


	97. Chapter 97: Forfeit

Chapter 97: Forfeit

"What the heck was Metal Sonic doing at the Egg Factory?" Chuck asked out loud while he and Miles were waiting for Sonny to show up.

The three of them were practicing with their Gear in the forest near Green Cave, where the next World Grand Prix race was going to start.

"I don't know," Miles said dubiously. "But it's not good."

"Do you think Eggman's behind it?"

"Metal Sonic betrayed Dr. Eggman, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot."

"So if it wasn't Dr. Eggman, then Metal Sonic must've revived himself somehow and hid inside E-10000B's body to recharge his energy."

"Which brings us back to my original question: what was Metal Sonic doing at the Egg Factory?"

"Yeah, that does seem like the last place Metal Sonic would want to be, unless…no, it can't be, but it's a logical explanation."

"What is?"

"Hey, guys!" Sonny shouted as he raced toward Miles and Chuck on his Gear. "Check this out!"

As he reached the end of the bar he was grinding on, Sonny leaped off his Gear and flipped through the air only to land back on the Gear as he turned it in a downward spiral toward the ground where it landed unscathed.

"Wow, Sonny, that was a cool move!" Miles said as he and Chuck ran up to Sonny. "Where did you learn that?"

"Oh, I, uh, improvised," Sonny said.

A series of sharp laughs caught Sonny and his friends off-guard when they noticed someone standing on one of the highest branches in a nearby tree. It was Jet Hawkins, with his spiky Mohawk-style green hair pulled back by his yellow-tinted goggles and was wearing a green jacket outlined in white fur with a matching green shirt underneath and tight green pants with red knee-length boots. His piercing blue eyes glared down at them from above.

"For someone of your reputation, that move you just pulled wasn't very impressive," Jet said.

"What reputation?" Sonny asked in an irritated tone.

"I've looked at all the records G. U. N. has on you," Jet replied smugly. "And while you may be fast on your feet, that doesn't cut it in Extreme Gear racing. To be the fastest on a Gear, you have to become one with the wind. Otherwise, you might as well kiss the ground and go home!"

Sonny glared at Jet as he leaped off the tree-branch and disappeared from sight.

"Who does he think he is?" Chuck said clenching his fists. "Just because he's one of the best Extreme Gear riders in the world doesn't give him the right to insult us like that."

"Now I want to beat him more than ever," Sonny said.

" _The fourth annual EX World Grand Prix race will be starting in ten minutes,_ " a female voice said over nearby speakers. " _Please get to your designated places whether you are participating in the race or not_."

"You guys go on without me," Miles said with his head lowered. "I want to fine-tune our Gears more so they're 100% functional."

"But ours are fine the way they are now," Sonny said. "Are you thinking about what Wade said to you two weeks ago?"

"No," Miles replied nervously.

"You're not fooling us, Miles," Chuck said and put a hand on Miles' shoulder. "Don't let her words get to you. You've always done your best, so don't worry."

"Yeah, but Wade's an expert Gear mechanic and I'm not," Miles said defensively. "If we're going to beat Team Babylon, our Gears need to be the best they can be and to do that I need to unlock everything I can about Gear technology."

After a slight hesitation, Sonny nodded. "All right, do what you think is right."

"We'll let you know who wins this race," Chuck said as he and Sonny made their way to race-track while Miles went off in a different direction with him and his friends' Gears in hand.

###

" _What a beautiful day we_ _'_ _re having despite the mugginess and while Team Shadow is rearing to go, Team Neo is nowhere to be seen!_ " Omochao announced. " _But in the meantime let_ _'_ _s introduce Team Shadow, who are newcomers to Extreme Gear racing just like most of teams we_ _'_ _ve seen during this tournament with Team Hooligan and Babylon being exceptions. First up, we have Espen the Ninja Chameleon who serves as the team_ _'_ _s Speed-Type. Then there_ _'_ _s Charles the Stinging Bumblebee who_ _'_ _s a Flying-Type, and the team_ _'_ _s Power-Type is Michael the Mighty Armadillo. All together, they seem like a well-balanced team but do they have what it takes to go up against Team Neo? Like Team Dark, Team Neo is new to Extreme Gear racing and have a robot on their side. But unlike Team Dark_ _'_ _s weak E-10000B model, Team Neo_ _'_ _s robot looks much tougher and stronger by comparison._ "

An image of Omega appeared on the holographic television screens along with pictures of Silva and Blake next to him.

" _Serving as Team Neo_ _'_ _s Power-Type, the robot-in-question is simply known as E-123 or Omega the Dominator as he prefers to call himself. The other members of Team Neo include Silva the Psionic Bullet, who is the team_ _'_ _s Flying-Type, and the team_ _'_ _s Speed-Type is Blake the Pyro-Blazer._ " Omochao paused and then with an alarming tone he said, " _We have just received word that Team Neo has forfeited the match and so Team Shadow will be moving on to the Semi-Finals without any competition!_ "

A series of 'boos' and angry shouts from the crowd caused Omochao to flinch.

" _But not to worry, Gear racing fans, because we_ _'_ _re going to have Team Shadow face off against Team Heroes here in Green Cave as opposed to the Sand Ruins which will be reserved for the Finals with Team Babylon!_ "

This sudden announcement surprised Sonny and Chuck as Omochao's camera-like eyes focused on them.

" _So, Team Heroes, do you feel up for the challenge?_ " Omochao asked.

With so many people looking at him, Sonny hesitated. "Well, um, we—

"We accept your challenge!" Miles exclaimed carrying all his teams' Gears.

" _Excellent!_ " Omochao said. " _Now get to the starting-line and let_ _'_ _s begin the countdown!_ "

After Miles gave Sonny and Chuck their Gears, the three of them made their way down from the stands to where Team Shadow was lined up. Espen wore a purple hoodie and matching pants with a dark-blue scarf wrapped around the bottom-half of his face with a ninja forehead protector on his head. Charles, on the other hand, had a bright-blue scarf and blue-tinted goggles which complemented his black-and-yellow striped T-shirt and honey-colored shorts. As for Michael, he was a little bit taller but not by much compared to when Sonny last saw him and his previously short hair had grown long with dark roots showing underneath red dye. He wore sharp yellow sunglasses, a black sleeveless shirt, red shorts and matching shoes.

"How did you get here so fast?" Sonny asked.

"I thought about what you said, and decided to head back when they made the announcement," Miles said. "Though I do wish they had given us a little time to practice since none of us were prepared to race today."

"Then do you want to forfeit too?" Charles said with a confident grin. "Though I don't think the fans will be happy about it."

"Indeed," Espen said quietly. "But Miles does have a valid point. It would've been more wise to give us practicing time given the sudden turn of events."

"Aw, who cares!" Michael said impatiently. "Let's just race already!"

"I was just about to say the same thing," Chuck said.

" _Riders,_ " Omochao said raising his free hand. " _On your mark_ _…_ _get set_ _…_ _GO!_ "

Then with that, both teams took off down the track.

" _And they_ _'_ _re off with Team Heroes in the lead but Team Shadow is trying to catch up to them!_ " Omochao said as he followed.

Michael attempted to flip through the air several times forward to reach Sonny and Miles but he was blocked by Chuck. While they were engaged, Charles tried flying over the two and was about to overtake Sonny when Miles intercepted him. Sonny continued to fly down the track without paying attention to what was going on behind him when Espen appeared right next to him. Surprised, Sonny took off ahead of him with Miles and Chuck catching up to him.

" _What seemed to be leading to a tie has now turned into a victory for Team Heroes who were able to finish the first lap unscathed!_ " Omochao said. " _Now Team Shadow still has a chance to win this race if they can finish the next two laps. Otherwise, this might be another easy victory for Team Heroes!_ "

Angered, Michael started spinning his Gear in a clockwise direction. Above him, Charles spun counterclockwise while Espen flew between them and after a brief spin he went flying over Sonny's head and landed just in front of him. As Sonny tried to catch up to Espen, Charles and Michael pushed past Miles and Chuck.

" _Wow, we_ _'_ _re just seeing new techniques right and left in this tournament!_ " Omochao exclaimed. " _Live feedback coming from our website seem to like the term_ _'_ _Spinning Arrow_ _'_ _for the technique Team Shadow just pulled. In case you missed it, Michael spun his Gear in one direction while Charles flew over him and spun his Gear in the opposite direction. Then Espen flew between them, and the momentum created by the swirling air between the Gears gave him enough velocity to fly over Sonny! What an amazing feat!_ "

As Team Shadow crossed the finish-line on the second lap, Sonny nodded to Miles and Chuck. In response, Miles and Chuck crossed in front of Michael and Charles in opposite directions while Sonny performed the same mid-air trick he did earlier and landed in front of Espen. Then as Espen tried to overtake Sonny, he was blocked by Chuck which caused Michael to intervene. Fortunately, Chuck was able to spin his Gear hard enough to send Espen and Michael back as Miles did the same to Charles in a mid-air conflict.

" _All right!_ " Omochao responded. " _Not only did Team Heroes perform the Triple Threat technique again but they were also able to make it across the finish-line as one team! Thus, with two laps to Team Shadow_ _'_ _s one, Team Heroes wins the Semi-Final race!_ "

The crowd cheered as Sonny and the other riders slowed down.

" _Congratulations_ _, Team Heroes!_ " Omochao said as he appeared in front of Sonny, Miles, and Chuck. " _You_ _'_ _ve officially won three races in the entire tournament, which grants you the right to participate in the Finals where you_ _'_ _ll be facing off against Team Babylon. How do you feel about it? Do you still think you can beat the champion team?_ "

"You bet we can!" Sonny said confidently.

"We'll be ready for them," Miles added.

"Just tell us where they'll be," Chuck said cracking his knuckles enthusiastically.

" _The Finals race will be held in Sand Ruins next week,_ " Omochao answered. Then he said to the camera, " _So until then, this is Omochao, signing off!_ "

To be continued…


	98. Chapter 98: Babylon

Chapter 98: Babylon

Inside a stadium located in the middle of the desert, thousands of fans cheered as Team Heroes and Team Babylon flew around on their Extreme Gears.

" _Now, our race has reached its final stage!_ " Omochao exclaimed to the thousands of cheering fans that were seated. " _The remaining competitors are pacing, anxious for the race to begin!_ "

In the stands, Amelia and the rest of Team Rose were cheering Sonny's team on along with the members of Team Shadow.

" _With only a few minutes left, I bet you_ _'_ _re all wondering who will win this big event?_ " Omochao asked. " _While Team Heroes have proven themselves to be formidable Extreme Gear Riders despite the very little experience they have, will that be enough for them to take on Team Babylon, the undefeated champions of the EX World Grand Prix five times over? Let_ _'_ _s find out!_ "

As both teams slowed down and made their way to the starting-line, which was located in the archway that led out into the open desert, Amelia decided to run from her seat and halt in front of Sonny and the others.

"Amelia!" Sonny exclaimed. "What are doing down here?"

"I came to wish you good luck," Amelia answered coyly as she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be up in the stands cheering you on!"

After Sonny nodded, Amelia went back up to her seat. Then the big holographic screen in the middle of the stadium turned on and a familiar face appeared on it.

" _Ho! Ho! Ho!_ " King Doc chuckled. " _It is time for the final event, and in Sand Ruins of all places! Remember, anything goes in this race and whichever team crosses the finish-line first will win the cash and treasure prize that has been promised! So without further ado, let the final race of the World Grand Prix begin!_ "

The screen shut off as all the people in the stadium cheered loudly.

"Hah!" Jet said as he walked alongside Sonny. "You're lucky you got this far, because it certainly wasn't due to your skills!"

"Heh," replied Sonny. "I won't lose now!"

Jet gritted his teeth and went back to join his teammates Wade and Sky.

"What was that jerk trying to do? Intimidate you into forfeiting?" Chuck said irritably.

"Well, clearly it had no effect on Sonny's determination," Miles said. "I just hope that we've distracted them long enough for G. U. N. to find evidence of them being world-class thieves."

"Then let's give them a race they'll never forget!" Sonny said as he raced to the finish-line.

Once the teams were in place, Omochao said, " _On your mark_ _…_ _get set_ _…_ _GO!_ "

Then with that command, the six Riders rode off like the wind. Team Babylon manage to ride past Team Heroes with ease and were blazing through the sand-dunes with clear familiarity. Undeterred, Sonny pressed the foot-peddle on the rear-end of his Gear as hard as he could and managed to catch up to Jet. Sky and Wade intervened by cornering Sonny from the side and back where they closed in on him which in turn forced Sonny to flip through the air backwards to avoid getting crushed.

" _Wow, already we_ _'_ _ve seen one of Team Babylon_ _'_ _s signature moves which is known as_ _'_ _The Cornered Rat_ _'_ _!_ " Omochao exclaimed. " _How it basically works is that Wade attacks the Rider from the side while Sky comes up from behind. This in turn forces the Rider to either retreat back or get pushed from both sides. Those unfortunate enough to fall for The Cornered Rat and not get out typically end up falling off their Gear. Fortunately, Sonny was able to leap out before the two closed in on him. But now, this puts him and his team at a disadvantage as Team Babylon is still in the lead. How will Team Heroes overcome this obstacle?_ "

Sonny then nodded to the others and together they attempted to pull off their signature move 'Triple Threat'. Miles and Chuck crossed in front of Wade and Sky as planned while Sonny attempted to flip over Jet to get in front of him. Unfortunately, Jet was prepared and spun midair to push Sonny backwards. Below Sonny, Miles and Chuck were getting jabbed from behind by Wade and Sky respectfully which caused them to retreat back as well.

" _Oh no! Team Heroes_ _'_ _signature move_ _'_ _Triple Threat_ _'_ _was completely foiled by Team Babylon!_ " Omochao said as Team Babylon reentered the stadium and crossed the finish-line. " _And with that, Team Babylon wins the first lap!_ "

During the second lap, Team Heroes attempted to overtake Team Babylon once more. This time, Sonny used a different tactic by zigzagging past Wade and Sky all the way up to Jet who immediately reacted by pushing his Gear against Sonny's. Sonny retaliated by doing the same to Jet's while behind them Wade and Miles were having a midair confrontation while Sky and Chuck were trying push each other off with their Gears. Eventually, Sonny managed to spin his Gear hard enough to send Jet flying backwards. As a result, Wade and Sky faltered to help Jet recover while Sonny Chuck and Miles sped their way across the finish-line inside the stadium.

" _I don_ _'_ _t believe it!_ " Omochao said excitedly. " _Team Heroes actually managed to outmaneuver Team Babylon! In case you missed it, Sonny broke his tie with Jet by pushing against Jet_ _'_ _s Gear in a counterclockwise direction which caused Jet to fall back causing Wade and Sky to help him and allow Team Heroes to cross the finish-line for the second lap! If they manage to get this third lap, Team Heroes might just win the EX World Grand Prix!_ "

However, as soon as Team Heroes left the stadium Team Babylon was on their tails. So Chuck and Miles tried to block them but Wade managed to fly higher than Miles and Sky pushed Chuck far enough away to allow Jet to speed past and reach Sonny. The two engaged each other once more, but Sonny managed to avoid Jet's attempts at pushing against his Gear. Then while Jet was distracted by Sonny, Miles and Chuck came up behind Jet and pushed him back with a combined shove by their respective Gears.

" _Nice shot!_ " Omochao said. " _Another brand-new technique has just been invented by Team Heroes and so far the favorite name is_ _…'_ _Pinball Flip_ _'_ _after the flippers that push the ball back in a pinball game. So with Team Heroes in the lead again, it looks like Team Babylon, our unbeatable champions of the air, are going to get beat after all!_ "

"No!" Jet cried as he flew to catch up to Sonny. "Wade, activate the you-know-what!"

"With pleasure!" Wade said as she pressed a small red button on a pepper-spray shaped device.

Sonny momentarily heard beeping as he entered the stadium and then his Gear suddenly exploded causing him to fall off. Miles and Chuck immediately flew to Sonny as he hit the stone pavement while Jet and his teammates crossed the finish-line ahead of them. The crowd cheered loudly and started throwing confetti while Sonny was helped up by his friends.

"The dirt suits you well, slow-poke!" Jet yelled at Sonny.

" _Congratulations_ _, Team Babylon!_ " Omochao said as flew up to Jet. " _You_ _'_ _ve won the EX World Grand Prix for the fifth year in a row and now you can have the mountainous cash-prize and treasure-trove as well!_ "

"I don't need any of those things," Jet said.

The whole stadium gasped in response.

" _Then what is it that you want?_ " Omochao asked nervously. " _A winning-streak of this magnitude requires some kind of reward._ "

"What I want is…" Jet looked back at his companions who nodded eagerly. "…the Chaos Emeralds."

Omochao gulped nervously. " _As you wish_."

###

A few minutes later, all seven Chaos Emeralds were assembled on a blue clothed table which stood at the top of a series of stairs on a balcony that overlooked the wide expansive desert outside. Jet gazed upon them greedily and then he took something out of a pocket in his shorts. It was a small cube-shaped device that was crystal-clear and had a slight glow to it. He held device over the Chaos Emeralds, which seemed to glow as well. Then to everyone's amazement including Sonny and his friends the Emeralds levitated in the air and surrounded Jet as the cube-shaped device became brighter. Seven beams of light then shot from the Emeralds into the cube-shaped device which produced its own beam of light after a brief energy-wave. The beam pointed to somewhere far off in the desert when a distant rumbling suddenly followed.

A huge wave of sand suddenly blew toward the stadium causing everyone to get down from the top stands and huddle into the middle as dust and dirt blew over the stadium sides and in through the stadium entrances. While this was going on, a large structure was rising out of the sand in the distance. Jet and his companions watched in awe as the structure became airborne and hovered over the sand-dunes below. What it turned out to be was a floating island with several ancient buildings on its surface with a large stone ring around it that contained smaller islands and towers.

"That is…Babylon Garden," Jet murmured. "Our true home."

Behind Jet and his companions, the center of the stadium was coming apart to reveal a hidden underground passage. From it flew Metal Sonic which took Sonny and the others by surprise as it snatched the cube from Jet's hands and hovered several feet from the stadium. Following behind Metal Sonic was a small round hovercraft with a black circular glass roof which had robotic arms attached to its sides. Immediately, Amelia ran towards the floating craft and jumped up toward its underside. She managed to latch onto the craft's landing gear and held on for dear life as the hovercraft flew toward the floating island that was apparently Babylon Garden with Metal Sonic flying alongside it.

"Eggman!" Jet exclaimed then he got on his Gear and flew after Metal Sonic and the flying hovercraft. "You traitor!"

Wade and Sky followed Jet's example and flew after the hovercraft on their Gears as well.

To be continued…


	99. Chapter 99: Treasure

Chapter 99: Treasure

"Come on, guys! We got to stop Eggman and save Amelia!" Sonny said as he ran up the stairs.

"But Sonny, your Gear's been destroyed," Miles said, holding up what was left of Sonny's Gear. "By a sticky-bomb, no less."

"Oh, yeah," Sonny said as his steps faltered. "I can't believe Team Babylon would stoop to such dirty tricks just to win!"

"I don't think they were interested in winning for winning's sake," Miles said, then he took off. "I'll be right back!"

"Wait, Miles!" Sonny cried but his words fell on deaf ears.

"I wonder what he has in mind," Chuck said curiously.

"It doesn't matter," Sonny said and looked at the terrified crowds inside the stadium. "But in the meantime, we need to get these people out of here."

"Leave that to us!" Victor shouted from the top of his lungs as he, Charles, Espen, and Michael stood up in their seats. "The Chaotix Detectives have never failed when it comes to evacuating people from potentially dangerous situations!"

" _And I_ _'_ _ll help too!_ " Omochao said.

"Oh, no, you flying rodent!" Chuck said grabbing Omochao by its propellers. "You're not doing anything until you spill some beans for us."

"Yeah, I bet you knew Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic were hiding in this stadium the whole time," Sonny said and glared at the frightened-looking Omochao. "Now unless Eggman has programmed you to be silent, I suggest you start talking before we start pummeling you to rust!"

"Guys, stop picking on Omochao!" Crème shouted as she ran toward Chuck and snatched Omochao from him. Using both arms to shield Omochao, Crème said, "Can't you see he's scared?"

"He's also a creation of Dr. Eggman," Chuck said trying to grab Omochao from Crème. "Just because he looks like a Chao, Crème, doesn't mean he's trustworthy."

"All right, Chuck, that's enough," Sonny said pinching Chuck on the shoulder. "Intimidating Crème isn't going to get us anywhere."

" _I_ _'_ _ll tell you everything you need to know! Just don_ _'_ _t hurt me!_ " Omochao exclaimed.

"I won't hurt you," Crème said and then glared at Sonny and Chuck. "Right, guys?"

"Yes," Chuck and Sonny said unanimously.

" _Okay, ask me any question regarding my creator,_ " Omochao said with slight relief in his voice.

"Did you know Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic were hiding in the stadium the whole time?" Sonny asked.

" _No, but I did know that King Doc and Dr. Eggman were the same person,_ " Omochao answered.

"That doesn't surprise me," Sonny said.

"Same here," Chuck added. "I thought King Doc was a stupid name, anyway."

" _I was also aware that Team Babylon, who are known in the criminal underground as the Babylon Rogues, were working together with Dr. Eggman in order to find a place called Babylon Garden that could only be revealed by the seven Chaos Emeralds if they_ _'_ _re in one place._ "

"Well, that explains the Chaos Emerald requirement for entering the tournament," Sonny noted. "So what is Babylon Garden?"

Omochao's camera-like eyes blinked for a second and then he said, " _From what I picked up, Babylon Garden is the original homeland of the people the Babylon Rogues are descended from who originally invented Extreme Gears thousands of years before the current ones were made. There_ _'_ _s a legend that tells of how the Babylonians were driven from their home because they angered the gods and were scattered throughout the world. It was assumed that all the Babylonians died long ago, but the Babylon Rogues are living proof that there are some remnants of their race still left._ "

"Okay, but why did they want to find Babylon Garden so badly?" Chuck asked. "Because they wanted to find their true home?"

" _Partially,_ " Omochao said. " _They also heard that Babylon Garden was filled with countless treasures including a super special one they think will make them the richest people in the world. Of course, Eggman was also interested in the treasure so he offered to help them find Babylon Garden by using this tournament as an excuse to collect all the Chaos Emeralds. However, as you three clearly saw, he decided to betray their trust which I didn_ _'_ _t know of beforehand._ "

"Sonny!" Miles said as he ran towards the group. "I found what I was looking for, though the sand made it difficult!"

Sonny couldn't believe his eyes. "Is that—?"

In Miles' right hand was a Gear that looked exactly like the one Sonny rode before it had been blown to bits.

"It's a new Gear I made for you," Miles explained. "Just in case something happened to your current one."

"Thanks a lot, buddy!" Sonny said and got on his Gear immediately.

###

"Hey, Jet!" Sonic said after Sonny allowed himself to be possessed only so he could catch up to the Babylon Rogues. He Tails and Knuckles had reached Babylon Garden which was enshrouded in giant gray clouds that came out of nowhere.

As Sonic caught up to Jet along the ring that orbited the main island, he noticed the Jet Sonny knew looked a little different. His clothes were still the same but apart from a feathery tail and his mohawk being replaced by green feathers, Jet's eyes were more hawk-like than before. When Sonic brushed against Jet's Gear briefly, Jet finally looked at him.

"Well, well, if it isn't Sonic the Hedgehog," Jet said grinning. "I thought I sensed my old rival in that new body of yours."

"I did too, Jet the Hawk," Sonic said. "Did the other Jet allow you to take over?"

"Of course," Jet the Hawk replied. "He and his friends discovered me and my comrades six years ago and with that we came up with this grand scheme to become super-rich! With Wave's help, Wade was able to replicate the Extreme Gears we rode in the past. But we needed money to mass-produce them, so we stole artifacts all over the world and sold them for money under the title the Babylon Rogues while moonlighting as Team Babylon, the best Extreme Gear Riders on the planet and owners of the company that sells Extreme Gear!"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed with your scheme."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"But so far, the biggest flaw was letting Dr. Eggman in on your plan and my host having friends who work for G. U. N.."

"G. U. N.? Hah! If they can't catch Dr. Eggman, then they won't get their hands on the Babylon Rogues!"

Then Jet flew ahead of Sonic, but Sonic managed to catch up to him once more. The two weaved between each other for several minutes until they reached Dr. Eggman who was standing in front of a giant pair of doors with the cube-shaped object in his hand. But before Sonic could get to him, Metal Sonic blocked his way.

"Ugh! I thought you were dead!" Sonic said angrily.

Metal Sonic said nothing and just flew right at Sonic. Fortunately, Sonic was able to avoid him and the two fought while Jet went for Dr. Eggman. In response, Eggman dragged Amelia out of the bushes who was wearing electrical handcuffs. Ignoring Amelia, Jet flew into the air in a circular formation and then he dive-bombed toward Eggman. Panic-stricken, Eggman took off dropping the cube-shaped object and Amelia in the process. Fortunately, Jet managed to stop himself just in time while Amelia covered her head.

"Heh," Jet said as he got off his Gear and picked up the cube-shaped object. "Piece of cake. Either Sonic has gotten dumber or I'm just smarter than he is."

"Why, you!" Amelia said as she transformed into Amy. "Take back what you said about Sonic, Jet, or—

"Or you'll what? Pummel me to death with your hammer?" Jet said mockingly. "I bet those electrical handcuffs are going to make it difficult."

Amy gritted her teeth and she pulled the handcuffs apart. After a few seconds, the handcuffs broke apart in a flurry of sparks and metal. Then as Jet approached the door, Amy tried to attack him but was suddenly hit from behind by a Gear. She landed on her rear-end and saw Wade and Sky fly right up to Jet only they looked different too. Not only was their hair more feather-like but their eyes were also narrower.

"Wave the Swallow, Storm the Albatross," Jet the Hawk said irritably. "What took you so long?"

"We had a run-in with some of Eggman's robots on the way here," said Sky who was possessed by Storm.

"Fortunately, we had a red-mutt and a little fox take care of them for us," responded the Wave-possessed Wade.

"Amy," Tails said as he landed right next to her on his Gear. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Amy said as she got up and pointed to a pair of small dots in the sky that were blue and colliding with each other. "But you've got to help Sonic! He's fighting Metal Sonic!"

"We're on it!" Knuckles said and took off into the sky along with Tails.

While they were occupied, Amy ran toward the Babylon Rogues as Jet lifted the cube-shaped device up to the door. Like with the Chaos Emeralds, the cube-shaped object glowed very brightly and then the doors automatically opened. But before Amy could catch up to them, the Babylon Rogues got onto their respective Gears and flew into a large circular chamber that lay inside the doors and into a dark hallway beyond that.

Several minutes later, Sonic and the others flew down with Knuckles dragging along the remains of Metal Sonic. After dropping it on the stoned path before the door, Sonic picked Amy up and together they rode into the circular chamber along with Tails and Knuckles. However, once they reached the dark hallway where the Babylon Rogues were the doors closed behind them.

" **Greedy fools** **…** " said a deep voice that echoed throughout the hallway. " **Those who seek treasure will only find only** **…** **death!** "

A bright light flashed and a giant monster appeared that looked like a humungous genie with a bird's head. It roared down at them loudly and flew away as the dark hallway was replaced by a hellish realm with a brimstone race-track and scattered torches. The seven riders pursued the monster down the track furiously with Sonic and Jet leading the way. They both took turns hitting the genie monster's floating jar with their Gears until the creature stopped and moaned loudly. As it dissolved, the hell-like realm disappeared as well. In the creature's place stood a red chest with gold lining.

"Finally," Jet the Hawk said inching towards the chest. "The long-sought after treasure of the Babylonians is mine!"

"No, it isn't!" Tails said blocking Jet's path. "This treasure and all the other artifacts you stole aren't yours to keep! They need to be shared with the world so people can understand long-forgotten cultures and learn from them to better our future! You guys are just tomb-raiders with no sense of cultural value!"

"What are you talking about?" Jet the Hawk said confusedly. "We never stole from archeological sites."

"Huh?" Tails exclaimed.

"What he's trying to say, Tails, is that we never took artifacts directly from the sites they came from," Wave said. "In fact, we actually stole from guys who stole artifacts and gave them back to the museums and archeologists they were stolen from for a price."

"Oh," Tails said, feeling dumbfounded. "And all this time, I thought you guys were heartless scumbags."

The clicking of guns suddenly got everyone's attention as Eggman stood right behind them.

"Thought you had seen the last of me, eh?" Eggman said and pointed to Jet. "Now hand over the treasure!"

Reluctantly, Jet the Hawk turned around and opened the chest. After seeing what was inside, he chuckled a little.

"What's so funny?" Eggman said irritably. "Hand over the treasure, now!"

"Fine, then," Jet the Hawk said and tossed something from the chest into the air. "Catch!"

Eggman caught the object, and was baffled. Confused, Eggman unrolled it, revealing the object to be a carpet with intricate designs. Then from the carpet came a piece of paper.

Eggman picked up the paper and read it out loud. "'At long last, we've completed our ultimate invention. With this, our lives will be easier and without the need to work so hard at keeping ourselves flying. Signed, the 13th leader of the Babylon Rogues'."

Everyone looked from Eggman to each other.

"I can't believe this!" Eggman said. "I spent all my time setting up the World Grand Prix and establishing the Kingdom of Toreggmania for this worthless piece of junk!"

As Eggman tossed the carpet down and walked away, Tails knelt down and examined the carpet closely. "Wait a minute."

"You see it too, huh?" Wave said walking up to Tails.

"See what?" Sonic asked.

"This carpet isn't a piece of junk," Tails said. "It's made from the same material as our Extreme Gears, and this was made thousands of years ago."

"Really?" Jet the Hawk said skeptically as the cube-shaped object suddenly started glowing in his hand.

To everyone's surprise, the carpet suddenly emitted a bright glow as it levitated off the ground.

"Whoa," Sonic said. "A real-life magic carpet!"

"Not exactly," Wave said. "I think it's more of a prototype Gear than anything else."

"But still," Jet the Hawk said as the human Jet returned. "I never knew my ancestors were capable of making such advanced technology back then."

###

As the sun set over the desert, Sonny and the others looked at the floating island that was Babylon Garden from below.

"So, Jet," Sonny said. "We'll straighten things out with G. U. N. and make sure they don't arrest you for crimes you didn't commit."

Jet scuffed. "You didn't have to. We could outrun the law any day."

"But once G. U. N. finds out about Eggman's involvement with the World Grand Prix, they'll take away any prize money you earned from the previous tournaments," Miles said. "You'll be flat broke!"

"I'm not too worried about that," Jet said. "The back of the carpet had some good words of wisdom. It said, 'This was invented to allow Babylonians to travel all over the world to gather treasure.' So that's what I'm going to do."

"Gather treasure?" Sonny asked.

"From those who've stolen it," Wade corrected.

"But next time we meet, Sonny, let's have a real race," Jet said looking at Sonny with determination. "No bombs, no transformations. Just a good old-fashioned race with our Gears."

"You bet!" Sonny replied confidently.

A brief moment of silence followed, then Wade said, "Come on, Jet, let's split already."

"Hey," Sky said as he slapped Wade in the back. "I wanted to say that!"

While Jet groaned, Miles said, "We'd better split too, huh?"

"Yeah, we should," Sonny said. Then he turned to Jet and said, "See you around."

Jet nodded and flew off along with Wade and Sky. At the same time, Sonny and the others flew off with Amelia still riding on Sonny's Gear. The four of them made it back to the Sand Ruins stadium as G. U. N. rescue planes appeared while Shawn, Rouge, Silva, Omega, and Blake were talking to the Chaotix Detectives. Upon seeing Sonny and his friends, they stopped talking and sauntered over.

"What were you idiots thinking?" Shawn said irritably. "Going after the Babylon Rogues, Metal Sonic, and Dr. Eggman all by yourselves? You could've gotten killed."

"We were just doing what we thought was right," Sonny argued. "Sure, Eggman got away again but we defeated Metal Sonic and it turns out the Babylon Rogues aren't bad guys, after all."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Rouge exclaimed. "So you called us to investigate this whole mess for nothing? Team Neo got captured shortly after they found out what the Babylon Rogues were really up to."

"Oh, so that's why you guys forfeited the race against Team Shadow," Miles said.

"Fortunately, I used by psychokinesis to break us out of our cell," Silva said.

"And my pyro-kinesis to set the Rogues' blimp on fire," Blake said.

"Are you nuts?" Chuck said. "That wasn't necessary!"

"It seemed appropriate considering what they did," Blake answered. "But maybe if you explain why they're not the bad guys you originally claimed, then maybe we can persuade G. U. N. to provide some kind of compensation for my reckless behavior."

"Fine, then we will," Sonny said and told the nine all about Babylon Garden and what happened.

To be continued…


	100. Chapter 100: Hidden

**100th CHAPTER! 8D I never thought I would make it this far, but I did thanks to you guys who've been reading _Sonic Reborn_ since it started. Now the next story-arc that I'm starting right here is based on _Sonic Lost World_ and the only major change I'm making is that while you can use Wisps in the game I'm not going to have them show up until the next story-arc which will be based on _Sonic Colors_. So I hope you enjoy the next few chapters and continue reading my fanfic!**

Chapter 100: Hidden

It was a bright sunny day above the clouds where Sonny and Miles were pursuing Dr. Eggman's Egg Mobile in the _Tornado-1_.

"Drop the kids, Eggman!" Sonny shouted atop the upper wing of the biplane.

In response, Dr. Eggman craned his neck to look back at them as he gave Sonny a malevolent sneer. "Fine, then, if you insist."

Then without warning, Dr. Eggman pushed a button on his control-panel which caused the big metallic container which was hanging from a large magnetic crane underneath the Egg Mobile to detach itself. Surprised, Miles steered the _Tornado-1_ down towards the container as the screams of several hundred children echoed from inside it. Sonny immediately leapt off the plane and transformed into Sonic to grab the container with his bare hand. However, Sonic missed the container's handle by an a few inches and was falling toward the ground when Miles caught him on the top wing.

"We've got to catch the crate before it falls beneath the clouds!" Sonic shouted as Miles quickly changed into Tails.

"I'll try," Tails said and banked the biplane down toward the falling container when an explosion occurred on the plane's engine.

Sonic looked up and saw Eggman gloating with a ray-gun in his hand while two small robots cheered him on inside the cock-pit of the Egg Mobile.

"Eggman!" Sonic shouted as the _Tornado-1_ vanished into the clouds.

"Sonic, look!" Tails exclaimed pointing in front of him.

When Sonic followed Tails' gaze, he was astonished by the sight of various landscapes stretched across hexagon-shaped acres that formed a partial sphere that floated in front of them.

"Is this—?

"The Lost Hex," Tails answered. Then as the plane started to descend towards the floating planet, he said, "I can land this plane, but it's going to be pretty bumpy."

###

After they crashed into a grassy area with winding tunnels of dirt and hedges, Sonic and Tails changed back into Sonny and Miles respectfully to discuss their next move.

"I imagine Eggman has probably retrieved the cargo by now," Sonny said. "He wouldn't be heartless enough to let a bunch of kids fall to their deaths."

"But forcing them to power his robots isn't any better," Miles said then his yellow tablet-like communicator started beeping. "I bet it's Amelia."

"Great," Sonny said irritably as Miles pressed a button and Amelia's face appeared on the communicator's screen. Behind her, Chuck was trying to calm down a group of kids who were getting agitated.

" _Hey, guys, how_ _'_ _s the search going?_ " Amelia asked.

"We found the missing kids, but…" Sonny hesitated.

" _But what?_ "

"Eggman shot our plane down and now we're stuck on this floating planet-thing in the sky."

" _Then what are you waiting for? Have Miles fix the plane and get going! The kids down here are missing their friends really badly._ "

"Yeah, I can see that," Sonny said as he noticed Chuck being attacked by the kids behind Amelia.

" _Hey, cut it out!_ " Amelia said as she turned to the kids and shut off the communicator on her end.

"How long will it take you to fix the _Tornado-1_?" Sonny asked.

"I don't know," Miles said as transformed into Tails and flew up to the plane's engine. "First, I'll need to access the damage and plan accordingly."

"Okay," Sonny said. "While you're doing that, I'm going to do some exploring."

"Fine, but don't wander too far," Tails said. "My memories of Lost Hex are kind of fuzzy."

"You mean you've been to this place before?" Sonny asked.

"Of course, when Sonic and I were alive, anyway," Tails replied as he flew between the damaged engine and the cock-pit where the repair tools were located.

"I see," Sonny said and ran off.

A few minutes later, Sonny came across Eggman flying in his Egg Mobile while a group of strange creatures followed him. They looked human, but they had skin in a variety of different colors and differently shaped horns sticking out of their heads. Sonny quickly changed back into Sonic and caught up to them.

"Hey!" Sonic shouted to Eggman. "I've been looking all over for you. Who're your friends?"

"'Friends'?" Eggman said mockingly as he turned the Egg Mobile to face Sonic. "Don't you recognize them? They're the Deadly Six!"

"Oh, boy," Sonic said as he rolled his eyes.

"Don't you dare mock us, punk!" said a shirtless skinny guy who wore black jeans, had purple skin with a matching mohawk and two curved horns that were striped black and purple. "I've been itching for a fight all day, and you're just the kind of thing I want to clobber real bad."

"As much as I'd love to stay, Zazz, I've got business to attend to," Eggman said and flew away along with the other creatures.

The purple guy watched Eggman go and growled in response.

"Don't tell me Eggman enslaved you guys again, because that would be pathetic given your past history with him," Sonic said mockingly.

"Shut up!" Zazz said angrily. "Now you're dead!"

"Bring it on!" Sonic said and prepared himself to run.

Zazz then raised his hands to the sky and a large ball-shaped object that resembled the moon appeared. He threw it at Sonic who managed to dodge it and hit Zazz with a Homing attack. As a result, Zazz was knocked back and tried to retrieve the ball but Sonic got to it first and kicked the ball off the ledge they were right next to. Then before Zazz could respond, Sonic gave him another Homing attack which knocked him out cold. Satisfied, Sonic went back to where the _Tornado-1_ was located as Tails was still making repairs.

"How are the repairs coming?" Sonic said as he changed back into Sonny. "You won't believe this, but I found Eggman."

"Eggman?" Tails exclaimed as he paused mid-repair. "Where was he?"

"About that way a few miles, toward the desert area," Sonny said as he pointed. "But he wasn't alone. Some guys called the Deadly Six were with him, and I defeated one who looked like an older version of one of the bullies who picked on Miles in middle-school."

"Really?" Tails quickly changed back into Miles and said, "Which one?"

"Um, Zaz, I believe."

"Weird. Who are the Deadly Six, anyway?"

"They're remnants of a race called the Zeti, who were once the natives of Lost Hex before the majority of them were mysteriously wiped out, that got enslaved by Dr. Eggman before they revolted out of anger and tried to destroy the world until they got defeated by me and Sonic," Tails' apparition said to Miles. "I'm guessing they must've reincarnated along with Sonic and the rest of us when Mobius was reformed, so I wouldn't be surprised if one of the Deadly Six took control of Zaz."

Once Miles repeated what Tails' apparition said to Sonny he said, "Well, he did call himself Zazz so it would make sense."

"You said they were heading for the desert, right?" Miles said and climbed back into the cock-pit. "Let's fly after them."

"But aren't you still repairing the _Tornado-1_?" Sonny asked as he climbed into the passenger's seat.

"No, I got done with that while you were gone," Miles said and turned on the engine which roared smoothly. "I was just making a few adjustments when you showed up."

"All right," Sonny said as the biplane took off into the air once more.

To be continued...


	101. Chapter 101: Revolt

Chapter 101: Revolt

As Sonny scouted ahead once Miles had landed the _Tornado-1_ in the desert area of Lost Hex, he came across a strange creature that was munching on a ridiculously long sandwich. Apart from a pair of black sweatpants that barely fit and a pair of metal cuffs with spikes, the creature was an obese humanoid with no shirt on revealing its pale yellow skin and matching eyes with several small horns on its bald head that were striped pink and black.

"Zom?" Sonny said bewildered. "Is that you?"

"My name's not Zom," said the obese creature as it finished devouring the sandwich. "It's Zomom, and I'm one of the Deadly Six!"

"Doesn't surprise me considering you always hung out with Zaz, who seems to have joined the Deadly Six as well and gone through an extreme makeover," Sonny replied nonchalantly. "Do you know if Zak's in the group, too?"

"I don't know who that is and you're starting to make me angry," Zomom said clenching his fists. "And I always get hungry when I'm angry! Maybe I'll eat you for dessert!"

"That's cannibalism, dude!" Sonny said as Zomom suddenly started spinning rapidly which turned him into a literal tornado.

After quickly transforming into Sonic, Sonny ran as fast as he could to outrun Zomom. Fortunately, he led him away from the _Tornado-1_ and they soon found themselves at the bottom of a small canyon. It was here that Zomom stopped spinning to catch his breath which gave Sonic enough time to hit Zomom with a Homing attack that knocked the obese creature off his feet. Angered, Zomom got back up and spun once more until Sonic knocked him down again once he stopped. This continued for one more round till Zomom got tired and ran away.

"Well, so much for him," Sonic said and ran back to Miles.

"You found Zom?" Miles said with disbelief.

"Kind of," Sonic replied. "He's possessed by the spirit of Zomom, one of the Deadly Six."

"Did you defeat him?"

"Yeah, but he ran away."

"Where?"

"This way," Sonic said as he grabbed Miles' hand and dragged him along as he ran.

Then Miles turned into Tails and followed Sonic in the air until they came to a cluster of boulders where Zomom, Zazz, and the other multi-colored creatures were gathered before Dr. Eggman who wasn't looking too happy.

"I go through the trouble of giving you every possible opportunity to eliminate Sonic, and yet you cretins still manage to fail me!" Eggman shouted, and pulled out a black conch shell with a magenta glow about it. "This calls for due punishment!"

Before the six creatures could say anything, Eggman blew into the black conch shell and played a few notes on it which caused the creatures to get immediately irritated and groan loudly.

"That conch shell must be what Eggman's using to control the Zeti," Tails said thoughtfully. "At least, that's how I think Eggman controlled them last time."

"Only one way to find out," Sonic said and leaped from the place he and Tails were hiding up towards the Egg Mobile where he kicked the conch shell out of Eggman's hand much to his surprise.

"Sonic! You imbecile!" Eggman growled angrily. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"Apart from stopping your evil schemes?" Sonic said mockingly.

"You've given the Zeti the opportunity to revolt, again!"

Then just after Eggman spoke, his robots suddenly turned their guns toward him instead of on the Deadly Six who were pointing their fingers at Eggman. A few seconds later, all the robots fired at Eggman and Sonic forcing the two off the Egg Mobile as it exploded from several energy blasts coming from the Deadly Six themselves. While this happened, the two robots that were at Eggman's side fell out too. Both were of small size with movable arms and hands but no feet. Apart from one being colored red and the other yellow, they were also distinguished by the shapes of their heads which were spherical and cube-shaped respectfully.

" _Oh, dear, this is bad!_ " said the red robot with the spherical head.

" _Very bad!_ " added the yellow robot with the cube-shaped head just as a gun-shot blasted its head from its body.

"Orbot! Cubot! We're leaving!" Eggman said as he turned tail from the gun and energy blasts while the two robots followed with the red robot carrying the yellow robot's head in one of its hands.

Sonic followed Eggman's lead and grabbed Tails as he ran in the same direction.

###

Once they reached a tropical coastline with several islands floating overhead, Sonic Tails Eggman and the two robots rested.

"Well, this is certainly a fine mess," Eggman said as he changed into Dr. Robotnik. "No thanks to you!"

"Hey," Sonic said as he became Sonny once more. "Sonic didn't know about the conch shell-thing till he literally kicked it away."

"But I told him about it," Tails said as he changed back to Miles. "You just didn't listen and wanted to be the hero."

"You know for once I agree with Miles," Robotnik said.

"Will you guys stop blaming me for Sonic's mistake?" Sonny said exasperatedly. "I'm not him, you know."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Miles asked sarcastically.

"We take care of the Zeti," Sonny said as he walked away from Robotnik. "By ourselves without some egg-headed doctor tagging along."

"Fine, then," Robotnik said as he walked away as well. "I didn't need your help, anyway."

So the two parties separated with Sonny and Miles going in one direction while Robotnik and the two robots went in a different one. While Miles went back to the desert area to check on the _Tornado-1_ , Sonny went running along the tropical coast when a walking stick suddenly came out of nowhere and blocked Sonny's path.

"You must be the one the doctor referred to as Sonic," said a small old man in black robes with blue skin and two small horns that were black and yellow who appeared after the stick fell. "I am Master Zik, mentor of the Deadly Six and your personal demise."

"Okay, so if you mentored the Deadly Six personally that means you must've recruited Zaz and Zom after they graduated middle-school," Sonny said.

The little blue man flinched. "How do you know Zaz and Zom?"

"Went to the same school as they did, though they certainly weren't the nicest guys to be around. Did you recruit Zak too?"

"If I told you I did, what would that mean to you?"

"Nothing, except that you're a creep who's due for a serious beating!" Sonny said and changed into Sonic once more.

"Humph! Try and stop me if you can!" Zik said and leaped away as Sonic followed.

To be continued…


	102. Chapter 102: Mutual

Chapter 102: Mutual

"Greetings," Dr. Robotnik said as he approached Sonny and Miles with his robots in tow. "I take it your battle with Master Zik went well."

"What are you doing here?" Miles said turning around with a frown on his face. "Shouldn't you be plotting your next scheme or something?"

"Well, as it turns out, we have a mutual problem," Robotnik replied nervously. "And unfortunately, it'll take both our forces to overcome it."

"Take a hike, Robotnik!" Sonny snapped. "We can handle the Zeti ourselves!"

"Yes, I can believe that, but the Zeti have gotten ahold of a device of Eggman's that will spell doom for the planet below if they continue using it the way they are now."

"What kind of a device are we talking about?" Miles said folding his arms.

Dr. Robotnik gestured Orbot to show Cubot's head towards a flat rocky wall next to them, which he did, and then Cubot's eyes lit up as a holographic image appeared. It showed some kind of machine with a suction cup attached to it and a vat of rising green liquid on top.

"This machine was designed to take energy directly from the planet, but due to its instability it can't be shut off once the machine reaches full power," Robotnik said. "Therefore if the Zeti continue to use it, our world will be sucked dry of life."

Sonny was about to say something when Miles' communicator started to go off. The two answered it, and saw Amelia's face looking tired as the trees behind her started to lose their color and Chuck was huddled with the kids.

" _Sonny, Miles, do you read me?_ " Amelia said tiredly.

"We're here," Sonny said. "What's going on?"

" _I don_ _'_ _t know,_ " Amelia said as she put a hand against her forehead. " _Everything is dying down here. The plants, the animals, even we_ _'_ _re feeling drained._ "

"We'll look into it," Miles said glancing at Robotnik nervously. "Just try to hold out."

" _All right, but please hurry,_ " Amelia said and her image faded from the screen.

"I guess you were telling the truth after all, Robotnik," Miles said bitterly.

"So where is this machine located?" Sonny said as he started doing warmup stretches.

"I hope you're not planning to smash it," Miles replied.

"What does it look like?" Sonny sheepishly grinned.

Miles groaned in response.

"Is that your answer to everything, Sonny?" Robotnik said irritably. "If you want to cause an explosion that'll incinerate everything in one hundred miles, then smash away."

Sonny hesitated and then he said, "Isn't there an off-switch?"

"Not anymore," Robotnik said shaking his head. "What I need to do is get to the machine and reprogram its shutdown sequence, but I'll need you two to deal with the Zeti in the meantime."

"How do we know Eggman's not going to use the planet's energy for himself once we've defeated the Zeti?" Miles said sarcastically.

"I've got Eggman under control at the moment, so there's a pretty good chance he's not going to take over anytime soon," Robotnik said raising his right hand.

"Do you swear by this?" Sonny said holding out his hand.

"Yes, I do," Robotnik said lowering his hand to shake with Sonny's.

"But if Eggman takes over your body once more, I will have no choice but to defeat you," Sonny said squeezing Robotnik's hand uncomfortably tight.

"Fair enough," Robotnik said nervously as he shook Sonny's hand in response.

"Okay, then let's go," Sonny said as he broke away and walked ahead of Robotnik.

" _I wouldn_ _'_ _t trust Robotnik if I were you,_ " Miles whispered to Sonny as he caught up with him. " _For all we know, it could be Dr. Eggman pretending to be Robotnik again._ "

" _I know how you feel, Miles_ ," Sonny whispered back. " _But if what he says is true, then we need him if we_ _'_ _re going to save the world._ "

"What are you two whispering about?" Robotnik said loudly.

"Uh, nothing, Robotnik," Miles said sheepishly.

"Right," Robotnik replied sarcastically.

###

After traversing a frozen area, the group came to an empty factory where Miles offered to repair Cubot's voice-chip which was going haywire with a Western-style accent.

" _Thanks for fixing me_ ," Cubot said in his normal voice.

"No problem," Miles said. "Maybe if your boss cared more about you guys than destroying me and Sonny, you wouldn't have had to get your voice-chip repaired in the first place."

"Are you calling me a bad programmer?" Robotnik said turning to face Miles.

"Maybe, because my mechanical skills far surpass yours," Miles replied.

"Really? Has it ever occurred to you that the reason you're the mechanical genius you are today is because a little two-tailed fox spirit lives inside you."

"Is that a compliment, or a sad attempt at dissing me?"

"Why, you—

"Hey, break it up!" Sonny said as he got between Robotnik and Miles. "Remember why we're working together."

"Remind me," Miles growled under his breath.

"We need Robotnik to shut down Eggman's machine," Sonny replied

"And you don't think I can do it?" Miles said clenching his fists.

"No, it's just—

"You don't trust me. Is that it?"

"I do trust you, Miles, it's just that I don't want to screw up this chance to fix my mistake."

"You think this is your mistake? Sonic's the one to blame here."

"Hey! That's uncalled for!"

"Boys, this conversation is getting awfully dreadful to listen to," Robotnik said irritably.

"You stay out of this!" Sonny and Miles shouted pointing at Robotnik.

A sudden laughter erupted from a wall of ice nearby which suddenly showed an image of Zazz standing next to another guy Sonny recognized.

"Zak?" Sonny said in disbelief. "Are you the one who's behind all this?"

" _That name no longer applies to me_ ," said the shirtless muscular guy with long light-blue hair tied back in a ponytail, red skin, long curved black horns, leather braces with spikes, and black pants. " _You may call me Zavok, the leader of the Deadly Six!_ "

"You'll pay for what you did, Zavok!" Robotnik said pointing at the man who was once Zak.

" _Well, if it isn_ _'_ _t the fat man himself,_ " Zazz said getting in front of Zavok. " _Thanks for the machine, by the way. We_ _'_ _re getting stronger than ever thanks to you._ "

"That machine was never yours to begin with!" Robotnik objected.

" _And what are you going to do about it?_ " Zavok said pushing Zazz out of the way. " _Once we_ _'_ _ve gathered all the planet_ _'_ _s energy, you and your friends will be dead along with every living thing down below._ "

"Then I'll destroy everything you love and make you watch!" Robotnik said and punched the wall of ice which fell apart instantly.

" _Doctor, your hands_ _…_ " Orbot said with concern.

"I'm fine," Robotnik said rubbing his hands tightly. "As long as I'm able to punch a Zeti."

Sonny and Miles looked at each other with puzzled expressions as they followed Robotnik and his two robots through the icy forest.

Eventually, they came across a stump in the forest where a woman with green hair and skin was seated painting her extended fingernails with pink nail polish. She had a single black-and-pink striped horn, yellow eye-shadow and lipstick, and wore a green sweater with black stripes, matching green pants, and black fingerless gloves.

"Who's she?" Miles asked out loud.

"That's Zeena, the only female Zeti in the Deadly Six," Robotnik answered. "Don't let her looks fool you. She's quite dangerous if you make her mad."

"Oh, really?" Sonny said and ran up to her. "Hey, snow-cone head, my friends and I are kind of in a hurry so if you could kindly move—

"Argh!" Zeena cried out examining her nails. "You ruined my nail art! Now I'm going to have to apply a whole new coat!"

"Are you serious? I'm so sorry," Sonny said in a drawn out manner.

"You mean it?" Zeena asked.

"No, that's just the stupidest excuse I've ever heard," Sonny replied bluntly.

"It's not an excuse!" Zeena growled. "As soon as my nails are dry, you're going to get it."

Then with that, Zeena leaped away with Sonny following her.

To be continued…


	103. Chapter 103: Trap

Chapter 103: Trap

After following Zeena up to a hovering sphere made of ice and snow, she used a pair of energy beams from her hands to attract two snowman heads which she spun around. To avoid the laser beams, Sonny transformed into Sonic and leaped over them to hit Zeena a couple of times with a Homing Attack. Once this was done, Zeena retreated in anger and Sonic returned to the icy world below. There, Sonic transformed back into Sonny as he came across Robotnik and Miles examining piles of robots that had been destroyed earlier by Sonic.

"You know, I could use the spare parts from these robots to build you a new body," Miles said to Cubot whose head was placed on a snowman Orbot made in a matter of seconds.

" _Ooh, that would be nice,_ " Cubot said in response. " _I_ _'_ _d like a big, strong body that won_ _'_ _t break so easily_."

"We'll see what Tails can do for you," Miles said and transformed into Tails as he took a massive crab-shaped robot and tinkered with it.

While this was going on, Robotnik was in deep thought while Sonny watched him.

"What are you thinking about?" Sonny asked.

"A way to get rid of the Zeti _and_ Eggman's machine at the same time," Robotnik said.

"Then let's hear it," Sonny said.

"With Eggman's machine, I might be able manipulate the Lost Hex's gravity to the point where it will implode into itself, thus eliminating the Zeti and the machine."

"Are you crazy?!" Sonny exclaimed. "Every living thing on this hunk of rock will die, not just the Zeti."

"That's true, but how would leaving the Zeti alive be any better?"

"We're not killing anyone, or anything for that matter."

"Miles!" Robotnik suddenly exclaimed as Cubot, whose head was now attached to the crab-like robot, was about to strike Tails who had changed back into Miles with a sharp pincer. "Look out!"

Miles turned behind him just as Robotnik pushed him out of the way. Sonny in turn reacted by jumping into the air and knocking Cubot's head off with one kick. Fortunately, Orbot caught it and the crab robot fizzled out and died.

" _What happened, Cubot?_ " Orbot asked.

" _I don_ _'_ _t know, but I just suddenly felt very mean_ ," Cubot said nervously.

"That's probably because the Battle-Bot's function to kill anything nearby took over Cubot's mind and made him try to attack Miles," Robotnik said as he got off of Miles. "Not a very smart choice for a replacement body."

"What the heck was that?" Sonny said to Robotnik. "You saved Miles' life, right after talking about killing an entire planet."

"It's what happens when you've got the spirit of a mad scientist inside you," Robotnik said dusting himself off. "I'm not actually a bad person, but then Eggman takes over and I end up doing horrible things against my will."

"Yeah, like I'd believe that," Miles said as he got up.

"Miles!" Sonny said. "You could've seriously gotten killed if it hadn't been for Robotnik."

"I was just trying to help," Miles muttered.

###

Inside the depths of a tropical jungle that lay northwest of the frozen area, Sonny Miles Dr. Robotnik and the two robots stumbled upon a metallic container with a big yellow cap on it.

"Isn't this the container Eggman used to kidnap the kids in?" Sonny said.

"Looks like it," Miles said and used the communicator which coupled as a scanning device to analyze the container. "My PAD detects several life-forms inside, but the readings seem off."

"Works for me," Sonny said and ran towards the container.

"Hold on," Miles said and immediately transformed into Tails. "Don't open it! It's a trap!"

Tails flew in front of Sonny and pushed him back as he fell into the container's side which opened up causing him to fall inside. He hit his head against the inside of the container, causing Tails to change back into Miles. Then before he could get up, the container closed up.

"Miles!" Sonny exclaimed but just before he could reach it the container vanished completely. "No…"

"The Zeti must've known we would be coming this way and so they set up that trap to capture us," Robotnik said reflexively. "But Miles knew this and sacrificed himself to save you."

"How could I have let this happen?" Sonny moaned. "I'm the fastest thing alive, next to Sonic, but I couldn't save my friend."

" _Look over there!_ " Orbot said pointing at something beyond the foliage. " _Isn_ _'_ _t that_ _—_

" _Yes, it is!_ " Cubot's head said as it bounced up and down for a better look. " _It_ _'_ _s Zor!_ "

"Another member of the Deadly Six?" Sonny said turning to Robotnik.

"Unfortunately, he is," Robotnik sighed. "He's not much of a fighter and has a terrible habit of complaining all the time."

While Robotnik was talking, Sonny ran off in the direction Orbot and Cubot were looking at and came across a teenage boy with a hunched back, medium-length purple hair, matching lips, gray skin, two black-and-blue horns that curved outward, and he was wearing a long gray trench-coat over tight black pants.

"Hey, you!" Sonny said as he approached the boy who was apparently named Zor. "Where did you take my friend?"

"Friend?" the boy parted his bangs and his eyes widened slightly. "Wait a minute, I thought we captured you."

"Well, you didn't!" Sonny grabbed Zor by the collar of his coat. "You took my best friend instead, now I want to know where he is!"

"Ugh, let go of me!" Zor said and scratched Sonny's hand causing him to let go. "I hate fighting."

"Then tell me where my friend is," Sonny said insistently.

"No way," Zor said and ran away as fast as he could.

In turn, Sonny pursued him but the foliage was so thick that he couldn't see Zor anywhere. Eventually, he found himself in a dark cave that was crawling with robots which he subsequently defeated as Sonic. Then on a floating platform made of purple stones, he found Zor who turned to him with an annoyed look on his face.

"Took you long enough," Zor murmured loudly. "And I thought you were supposed to be the fastest thing alive."

"Where did you take Miles?" Sonic insisted.

"You're starting to annoy me," Zor said as he created two shadowy clones of himself with bats that came from his hands. "Maybe I'll kill you slowly so I can enjoy every minute of it."

He then jumped up into the air and pulled a hanging switch, causing the cave's electric lights to suddenly go off. Sonic in turn responded by avoiding the shadows as best he could and pulled the switch again to turn the lights on. He saw Zor floating away, and leaped after him. After a couple Homing Attacks, Zor gave up and vanished in a cloud of bats.

To be continued…


	104. Chapter 104: Takeover

Chapter 104: Takeover

"Well, if it isn't Sonic the Hedgehog, my old nemesis," Zavok said as Sonic approached him from behind on a stretch of grassy land that floated in the sky. "I assume you want to know where your friend is."

"If you hurt Tails or his host Miles, you're dead!" Sonic said angrily.

Zavok laughed in response. "Don't worry, Sonic. We're not going to hurt them."

"Then you're going to roboticize them?"

"Precisely."

"How do you plan to do that, given that you're dealing with two beings and not just one?"

"We'll make sure that Tails doesn't try to reprogram himself like last time by repressing his spirit so that Miles can't transform into him to get out of his 'situation.'"

"You monster!" Sonic shouted as Zavok leaped away.

As he ran to catch up with Zavok, the PAD Miles/Tails dropped before he was captured started to vibrate. Sonic quickly transformed back into Sonny and answered it. Amelia's face appeared, but she looked much paler and weaker than before.

" _Sonny_ _…_ " Amelia whispered. " _It_ _'_ _s_ _…_ _too late_ _…_ _for us._ "

"Don't say that!" Sonny said. "You guys have got to hold on!"

" _We can_ _'_ _t_ _…_ " Amelia said shaking her head. " _Please, save the world_."

The signal cut off leaving Sonny speechless.

"It seems your friends are falling one by one," Zavok said appearing nearby. "Soon, they will all be dead and you will be all alone."

"Zavok!"

Sonny transformed into Sonic and followed Zavok onto a floating serpentine dragon made of metal. While the dragon itself fired occasional lasers from its body, Zavok tried charging at Sonic with energy-charged punches. When Sonic tried attacking him, Zavok would block himself against them thus rendering them ineffective. Not wanting to give up, Sonic hit Zavok again and again with several Homing Attacks and Kicks. This in turn forced Zavok to retreat further down the dragon's body until he reached the tip of the head. With one final series of Homing Attacks, Sonic was able to knock Zavok off causing him to fall to the ground below.

###

After Sonny regrouped with Robotnik and the bots, they made their way into an area where deep gorges contained rivers of lava that poured from distant volcanoes.

"Wow, that's quite a drop," Sonny remarked as he made his way across a metallic bridge over one such gorge where the lava stream ran several thousand miles below.

"Yes, it is," Robotnik said.

A series of boulders suddenly came from the other side and started puncturing the bridge into several fragments. Unfortunately Orbot and Cubot, who's head was now attached to Orbot's, were in the middle and ended up falling into the gorge. Sonny would've fallen in too, but Robotnik saved him at the last minute as the two held on to the other side of the bridge for deal life. On the side they just came from, Zazz and Zomom were hurling boulders at them while laughing loudly.

"Thought you'd never see us again, didn't you?" Zazz shouted.

"That planet-sucking thingy made us strong," Zomom added.

"That's right, so we're not holding back!" Zazz hurled a large circular boulder towards Robotnik and Sonny.

In a few seconds, Robotnik hurled Sonny up to the other side of the gorge just as the boulder hit what was left of the bridge causing it to fall along with Robotnik.

"Robotnik," Sonny murmured, then he took off.

But Zazz caught up to him, along with Zomom and then Master Zik.

"What do you say we teach this annoying rat a lesson for beating us up earlier?" Zazz said cracking his knuckles loudly.

"I can get behind that," Zomom replied. "He'll make a tasty snack."

"Yes, revenge is a dish best served cold," Zik responded, and pointed at Sonny. "Prepare yourself, boy!"

Sonny immediately became Sonic and took on the three Zeti at once. He avoided the spherical boulders Zazz hurled and hit him a few times with a Homing Attack. Once Zazz was down, Zomom tried burrowing underground to hit Sonic undetected. But Sonic was quicker, and managed to beat Zomom once he resurfaced. After doing this twice, Zomom was knocked out. Zik then stepped in and made several swift strikes at Sonic who merely got around and hit the old man from behind several times. It was when Zik fell that Sonic continued on. Eventually, he was confronted by Zeena, Zavok, and Zor at the threshold of a palace made of volcanic rock.

"Do I have to fight you guys too?" Sonic said wearily.

"Not necessarily, if you're willing to join us," Zavok said and snapped his finger.

Behind Zavok appeared Miles, but he had a laser gun for an arm, a metal chest-plate, and half of his face was mechanical with a single purple eye while his real eye was a dull gray.

"Miles," Sonic said as he transformed back into Sonny. He glared at the three remaining Zeti and said, "When I get my hands on you—

"You'll what? Take on all three of us at once?" Zor said mockingly.

"I bet you're really tired after fighting Zazz, Zomom, and Zik," Zeena said filing her nails. "Why don't you come to our side? We would gladly appreciate your service."

"Never!" Sonny proclaimed.

"I knew you would say that," Zavok said and turned to Miles. "Destroy Sonic and his host."

Miles silently walked up to Sonny and pointed the laser gun at him.

"You've got to fight back, Miles," Sonny said. "I know you're still in there, and Tails, too."

"What are you waiting for?" Zavok said insistently. "Kill them!"

It was then that Miles started twitching suddenly, and blinked with his real eye causing it to turn back to light-blue. Zavok and the others watched as Miles suddenly became Tails, which broke the part of his head that was mechanical. Next, Tails turned around and fired several purple-colored blasts of energy his laser gun at the Zeti.

"What? Impossible!" Zavok shouted as he and the other Zeti retreated.

"Tails," Sonny said with surprise. "How did you—

"They thought they could roboticize Miles by repressing his free-will which would in turn suppress me," Tails said. "But what they didn't realize is that while Miles and I may share the same body, our minds are completely different. So while they were able to take over Miles' mind, they couldn't control mine."

"I see," Sonny responded then he realized, "But that means if you relinquish control of Miles' body now—

"The robotized Miles will try to kill you," Tails said bluntly.

"Is there any way you can fix that?"

"I might with the right tools, which I know are in the fortress somewhere."

"All right," Sonny turned into Sonic and said, "I'll take care of the remaining Zeti. You find a way to fix yourself."

"Got it!" Tails said, and flew off ahead of Sonic who went off to pursue the Zeti inside the stone fortress surrounded by a moat of lava.

To be continued…


	105. Chapter 105: Reverse

Chapter 105: Reverse

After Sonic defeated Zeena and Zor a second time inside a multi-roomed chamber that was filling up with lava, he found Zavok further down. While Zavok threw flaming energy blasts, Sonic dodged them easily and hit Zavok several times with the Homing Attack. Eventually, Zavok was knocked out and fell into the lava. Sonic watched him fall, but was amazed when Zavok suddenly emerged from the lava now several times larger than before.

" **You thought I was dead, didn** **'** **t you, Sonic?** " Zavok roared tauntingly as Sonic made his way up higher on floating platforms. " **Now you** **'** **ll have to face my true wrath, hedgehog boy!** "

As Zavok breathed fire from his mouth, Sonic noticed several explosives on the platforms and kicked them off the side. They hit Zavok and exploded, but that didn't entirely stop him from climbing upward. So Sonic continued throwing explosives down on Zavok till he eventually lost his grip and fell toward the lava down below. But before he actually hit the lava, Zavok was saved at the last minute by Tails who longer had any robotic parts on his body whatsoever.

"Tails!" Sonic said joining up with him outside the lava chamber with Zeena, Zor, and now Zavok who were all unconscious. "You're no longer look like a cyborg. How did you do that?"

"I found tools inside the lab where they roboticized Miles and used them to remove the robot parts from this body," Tails said. "Now if you be so kind as to help me carry our friends to the lab, I found the perfect place to put them for now."

"Okay," Sonic said as he picked up Zavok and Zeena's horns. "What about Zazz, Zomom, and Master Zik?"

"Oh, I got them into the lab while you were busy fighting these guys," Tails said picking up Zor and flying with him.

Inside the lab, which was a white room that was mostly in shadow except for a few lights that showed a machine, an operating table, and the container that was used to trap Miles. Now, the container was occupied by the members of the Deadly Six who were all unconscious and had returned to their human forms as well. Once this was done, Sonic and Tails sealed up the container and explored the fortress till they found the machine Cubot's projector showed.

"All right, time to shut this thing down," Tails said and strolled up to the control panel. But when he got to it, he exclaimed, "Huh?"

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

"It's already shut off," Tails said.

"Who could've done that?" Sonic wondered.

A series of maniacal laughs erupted, followed by a giant mech appearing from the lava pit below with tubes coming from its back that connected to the giant vat of green liquid. The one who was piloting this robot was none other than Dr. Eggman and sitting beside him were Orbot and Cubot with their heads still conjoined.

"Surprised?" Eggman said sarcastically.

"I saw you die!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Well, you should've checked before assuming," Eggman replied. "I meant to fall off that bridge to make you _think_ I was dead so that I could have time to power my new robot using some of the planet's energy that I had already collected."

"And take out the Zeti for you," Sonic said, then he looked at Tails. "I guess Sonny should've listened to your host."

"Miles says he's forgiven Sonny," Tails responded. "Now go and kick Eggman's butt!"

"Sure thing!" Sonic said and flew toward Eggman's robot.

In turn, Eggman's robot retreated down a long walkway that was surrounded by lava on both sides. As Eggman threw lasers and flying robot hands, Sonic in turn retaliated by hitting the robot's weak points with several Homing Attacks at once. This in turn resulted in Eggman's robot flailing down the walkway, but he managed to get back up. During the next round, Eggman's lasers and flying robot hands got faster, but Sonic managed to outmaneuver them the same. Then after a final Homing Attack, Eggman's robot toppled over and blew up on the walkway. Eggman emerged from the robot unscathed along with Orbot and Cubot.

"I'll be back, Sonic!" Eggman said as a jetpack emerged from his jacket. "You may have defeated the Zeti, but they will be mine again someday and I'll make them stronger than before!"

So Eggman took off while Orbot and Cubot held onto one of his legs for dear life. In response, Sonic jumped into the air and snatched the jetpack's exhaust pipe right behind Eggman's back. As a result, the jetpack started losing altitude and then Eggman and the bots flew off the Lost Hex's surface.

"Was that really necessary?" Tails asked as he stepped up to the control panel.

"He'll be fine," Sonic said as he transformed back into Sonny. "Eggman's too stubborn to die, so I'm sure he has a plan to catch himself."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Tails said pushing several buttons on the control panel. "I'm now reprogramming Eggman's machine to return all the stolen energy back to the planet."

"How long will that take?" Sonny asked.

"Just finishing the final touches," Tails said and pulled down a big red lever that was pulled up downward. "And now, Mobius, here's all your energy back!"

The vat of green liquid drained quickly as the hose-like object sprayed green mist that sank to the planet below, causing what seemed to be a now barren waist-land to become green once more. Satisfied, Sonny and Miles went back into the fortress, found the missing kids, and led them all the way back to the _Tornado-1_. There, everyone got onto the plane's wings and tail while Miles piloted the biplane in a gentle downward spiral back to Mobius. Once they reached the grassy field where Amelia and Chuck were waiting for them, they landed the biplane and allowed the kids to get off. While Sonny and Miles joined up with Amelia and Chuck to tell them all about their adventures on the Lost Hex, the kids rejoined their friends and the parents who were there to greet them.

To be continued…


	106. Chapter 106: Ticket

**Okay, so now that the** _ **Sonic Lost World**_ **story-arc is over, I** **'** **ll be dedicating the next few chapters to the second-to-last story-arc of my fanfic which will be based on** _ **Sonic Colors**_ **. Once again, I thank you all for continuing to read my fanfic and be sure to check out some of my other works as well!**

Chapter 106: Ticket

It had been several months since the Lost Hex incident and as Sonic had predicted, neither Dr. Robotnik/Eggman or the two robots were found where they would've fallen. As for the humans who were possessed by the Zeti, G. U. N. had decided to temporarily put them into suspended animation though Shawn was against it while they were busy removing all of Dr. Eggman's machines and remaining robots from the Lost Hex. Then once that was done, G. U. N. released the Zeti-possessed humans from suspended animation and placed them on the Lost Hex which now served as a prison of sorts. While Miles and Amelia were attending Spagonia University with Professor Pickle as their supervisor, Sonny spent most of his free time either saving people from harm or aiding G. U. N. in its search to find Dr. Eggman.

But in the present, Sonny was relaxing in the apartment he used to share with Miles when several knocks sounded at the door. Reluctantly, Sonny answered it and was surprised to see Miles standing there.

"Miles," Sonny exclaimed. "Isn't school still in session for you?"

"It's a long story," Miles said. "Mind if I tell you inside?"

"Sure," Sonny replied and allowed Miles to step in before closing the door.

"A few hours ago, the G. U. N. Commander called me through my PAD," Miles said taking out the yellow handheld device he carried with him. "And this was what he had to say."

Miles pressed a button, and the Commander appeared on the screen.

" _Miles Prower_ ," the Commander said sternly. " _As of this morning, a majority of the world_ _'_ _s satellites have mysteriously gone missing. We_ _'_ _re not exactly sure what the cause of this is, but here_ _'_ _s the only clue we have_."

Up to the screen the Commander held a photograph that showed what looked to be a large object floating in space with a hemispherical underside that had several buildings inside a glass-like dome while several yellow beams shot from its topside. Then below the hemisphere there looked to be a long shaft that ran down past the edge of the photograph.

" _We_ _'_ _ve also been getting reports from civilians out in the midwestern part of the United Federation describing some kind of elevator that goes all the way up to the sky,_ " the Commander said taking down the photograph. " _I_ _'_ _m assigning you and Sonny to investigate these two things to see if there_ _'_ _s a connection between them and if you do find out who_ _'_ _s responsible for this, let me know._ "

After that, the message ended.

"But if most of the world's satellites are destroyed, how was the Commander able to send a message to you?" Sonny asked.

"My PAD doesn't rely on satellite transmission," Miles said. "Instead, it relies on sophisticated radio-waves."

"I see," Sonny idly looked at the TV set. "Now I know why the TV wasn't working right this morning."

"By the way, did you also receive this in the mail?" Miles reached into his pants-pocket and pulled out a bright orange ticket with the words 'EM's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park' in red lettering.

"Yeah, though the envelope didn't say who it was from," Sonny said as he picked up a similar ticket from the coffee-table. "I have a theory, though."

"Same here," Miles nodded.

###

One _Tornado-1_ flight later, Miles and Sonny found themselves in a grassy field with people gathered around a colossal structure with a snail-shaped pod attached to it. The two made their way through the crowds who were taking pictures of themselves standing next to the structure and approached the door to the pod. There was a small slot right next to the door-handle, which wouldn't budge no matter how hard Sonny tried to pull.

"Maybe it requires some kind of ID," Miles said as he took out his and Sonny's tickets. "Let's see if this works."

Sonny stepped aside as Miles pressed the tickets into the slot, which gobbled them up one-by-one. Then immediately after, the door swung open on its own. The crowd watched with confused stares as Sonny and Miles entered the pod. But before anyone else could get in, the door shut itself closed and the pod shot up into the sky aided by rockets attached underneath.

" _Hello, fellow passengers!_ " said Eggman's voice as it blared through the speakers inside the pod. " _Buckle up as Eggman_ _'_ _s Ultra-Accelerating Space Elevator whisks you to an interplanetary wonderland of fun!_ "

"M-m-man," Miles said as he knees started shaking. "This thing's got c-c-crazy acceleration, all right."

"You should see the view," Sonny said looking out the porthole-shaped windows of the pod where the planet was starting to vanish beneath them. "We're actually in space!"

" _This little amusement park of mine was created out of a sense of remorse for my past misdeeds and is in no way an evil plot in disguise,_ " continued Eggman's voice as the pod approached the hemispherical underside of the object that was in the Commander's picture.

Up close, Sonny and Miles could see that underneath an invisible glass dome was an entire resort with palm trees neon rails and floating waterfalls. Once the pod stopped, the two got out though their feet were incredibly wobbly.

" _Welcome to Eggman_ _'_ _s Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park,_ " Eggman's voice said through speakers posted along the lane Sonny and Miles found themselves walking on. " _If you have just stepped off the Ultra-Accelerating Space Elevator, you_ _'_ _ll find yourselves in the Tropical Resort area which is a perfect resting-place and starting point for any would-be explorer! From here, you will get to explore five distinct planets that I_ _'_ _ve pulled from various corners of the universe with several rides and attractions lined up for your enjoyment! Be sure to visit the various gift-shops posted throughout and a wide assortment of restaurants catered to your individual tastes! But most important of all, be sure to be safe and have fun!_ "

"Geez, Eggman sure likes to hear the sound of his own lips flapping," Sonny said after a brief yawn as he looked around. "But still, this place is amazing."

"It sure is," Miles said looking towards Mobius which was a large blue hemisphere below them. "I'm almost half-tempted to believe that Eggman doesn't have some evil plot in mind."

"I know, right?" Sonny chuckled a little and said, "But considering how much trouble he went through to invite us, it's almost like he's _begging_ us to trash the place."

"That may be true, but he could just be using us as guinea-pigs to test out his new theme park," Miles responded. "And if we like it, then he'll probably open this up to the public."

"You think?"

"I don't know."

A crashing noise suddenly got the boys' attention. Sonny immediately ran down the lane towards the source and came up to a ledge where below him he saw Orbot and Cubot chasing a couple of strange creatures with nets and lasers.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but clearly those two bots are up to no good," Sonny said as he transformed into Sonic and jumped down toward the lane below.

In one fell swoop, he grabbed the two strange creatures and landed back on the ledge. Up close, Sonic could see that the creatures had translucent bodies that consisted of two arms with no fingers, small torsos, and curved tails with no legs. But they were also distinctly different from one other as one was cyan blue with a pair of orange eyes while the other was light blue with one big pink-colored eye in the middle of its face.

"Wait, aren't you—

Before Sonic could finish his sentence, the cyan blue creature suddenly merged with his body transforming him into a cyan-colored head with bright yellow eyes that shot in zigzag directions throughout the resort.

To be continued…


	107. Chapter 107: Alien

Chapter 107: Alien

"Whoa," Sonic said as the alien creature left his body and changed him back to normal. Afterwards, he was overcome with so much exhaustion to the point of changing back into Sonny instantly. "That was…crazy!"

"You're finally back," Miles said casually as he sat next to the light blue-colored alien with the pink eye. "You were gone for a pretty long time."

"Did you see that, Miles?" Sonny said breathlessly. "That weird alien thing somehow merged with my body, turned me into this super-powered flying laser-thing, and then it popped out after several seconds passed!"

"You're actually not that far from the truth," Miles replied. "That thing you merged with and this little guy that's been hanging around me are aliens, specifically Wisps."

"How do you know that?" Sonny asked.

"Tails told me," Miles answered. "He said that back when he and Sonic were alive, they foiled a plot by Dr. Eggman that involved creating a giant amusement park similar to the one we're in where he captured these Wisps and harvested them for energy while turning their native planets into attractions for the park itself."

"That sounds awful," Sonny then proceeded to take off, "I'm going to find Eggman and see if he's up to the same thing."

"Okay," Miles said after him. "I'll stay here."

It wasn't long before Sonny came across Eggman floating in his Egg Mobile near a cluster of liquid tubes on a balcony filled with creatures similar to the ones he and Miles encountered earlier while Orbot and Cubot watched him count each creature individually.

Once he was done counting, Eggman sighed. "Not nearly enough aliens!"

" _Want us to get more?_ " Orbot offered.

"No, I want you to get me a cheeseburger and shake," Eggman said irritably. "Of course I want you to get me more aliens!"

" _Y_ _'_ _all want fries with that?_ " Cubot said in a strange Western accent before being hit on the head with a wrench thrown by Eggman.

As the two robots prepared to leave, Eggman flew around the tubes musing to himself. "Once I get enough aliens, I'll harvest their Hyper-go-on energy and then nothing will stop me!"

" _Um, boss, look over there,_ " Orbot said and pointed to Sonny who was standing behind Eggman a little ways off.

"Sonny!" Eggman exclaimed turning around to face him.

"Who are you calling 'nothing'?" Sonny said and transformed into Sonic.

"Argh! I don't have time for this," Eggman said with annoyance. "Release the Big Boy!"

Upon his command, a colossal Ferris Wheel ride emerged from behind the balcony powered by several rockets while a large robot with elongated arms and a big red eyeball in the middle of its body held on cackling maniacally.

"Well, time for me to stop stopping," Sonic said and charged at the giant Ferris Wheel.

He avoided the rockets that came flying towards him and used the moving platforms that moved in circular motions to reach the big red eye and hit several times before the robot exploded. Then with that, the Ferris Wheel sank down into the abyss below but Sonic managed to get off the ride in time before it was long gone. While Eggman had left before the battle began, Orbot and Cubot were still present but ran away as soon as Sonic came towards them.

Then after Sonic freed the Wisps that were inside the glass tubes, he went back to Miles who was tinkering with his PAD.

"Did you find Eggman?" Miles asked.

"Yep, and he spilled his big plan before noticing me," Sonic said transforming back into Sonny. "He's planning to capture as many aliens as possible to harvest them for something called 'Hyper-go-on' energy."

"Hm, never heard of such a thing." Then Miles looked at something in front of him that Sonny couldn't see and blinked. "Really? That's what it is?"

"What?" Sonny asked.

"Tails says that Hyper-go-on energy is what gives the Wisps their unique powers," Miles said. "Eggman must be using them to power some kind of device."

"Does Tails know?"

Miles looked ahead of him and shook his head. "He doesn't remember."

"That's a shame," Sonny said and noticed the PAD had a small radar built into it now. "What have you been working on?"

"A translator," Miles said proudly. "This way, we can communicate with the Wisps more easily."

"Um, shouldn't you try contacting the G. U. N. Commander and let him know what's going on up here?" Sonny said dubiously.

"I did, but the transmissions I sent kept getting reflected back," Miles said. "My guess is that Eggman is somehow blocking any signals sent from inside the dome down to Mobius."

"Then that means the satellites that went missing are either being kept here somewhere or they were destroyed."

"If they were destroyed, there would've been satellite debris raining down on the planet below several hours ago. No, I think it's the latter."

"So if we can't get in contact with the Commander, we're going to have to deal with Eggman ourselves," Sonny said and smiled at the thought.

"But we should also look for the missing satellites and I think the Wisps might be able to help us." Miles then stood up and pointed the radar between Sonny and the light-blue Wisp. "Ask it something."

"Okay," Sonny nodded and looked at the light-blue Wisp floating in front of him. He then said in a slow voice, "Are you a Wisp and what is your name?"

The light-blue alien made several gestures and squeaky noises which Miles picked up on the radar. Sonny looked over Miles' shoulder, but all that the PAD showed were 0s and 1s.

"It's in binary code, so only I can read it." Miles explained then he said, "All right, based on my on my calculations, it is indeed a Wisp and its name is Yacker."

The light-blue alien nodded approvingly.

"Wow, your translator's spot on!" Sonny exclaimed. "Guess you really are a genius."

"I had a little help from Tails, who made a similar translator when he and Sonic first encountered the Wisps, but I did most of the work because Tails trusted I could do it," Miles said.

"Sweet," Sonny said then turned back to the Wisp named Yacker. "We're looking for these devices called satellites, and we were wondering if you could help us find them."

Yacker in turn tilted his head sideways in confusion.

"I don't think he knows what a satellite looks like," Miles said.

Sonny noticed a nearby trash-can and stood behind it with his arms stretched out. "They look like, um, this."

In response, Yacker shook his head.

"He still doesn't get it," Miles answered wearily.

"Oh, well I picked up this map after Sonic beat this giant robot Eggman sent after him that shows a couple of the planets that are attached to this park," Sonny said and took out a folded piece of paper which he gave to Miles. "Maybe the satellites are located on one of them."

"That might be possible," Miles said and noticed Yacker waving his arms frantically and looking worried.

"What's he saying?" Sonny wondered.

"He says that we must 'save them' over and over again."

"I'm guessing you're talking about other members of your race," Sonny said to Yacker.

The light-blue alien nodded in response.

"Then it's settled," Sonny said firmly. "We'll go check out these planets and see if the satellites are there while freeing some more Wisps along the way."

Miles nodded in agreement and Yacker flew in circles around Sonny's head looking happy as the three of them took off.

To be continued…


	108. Chapter 108: Mind

Chapter 108: Mind

"Now, let's see," Sonny said to himself as he traversed the planet known as Sweet Mountain for its hills made of cake, candy-cane rails, hamburger towers, donut loops, and popcorn that cluttered the ground like snow. "If I were an alien in need of rescue, where would I be?"

" _Attention, visitors!_ " Eggman's voice boomed. " _If you come across any aliens along the way, please do not feed them, pet them, or try to rescue them._ "

"Aw, man," Sonny said shaking his head mockingly.

Then he came to a giant structure that was white and square-shaped that had a fence made of pure electricity on top of it. Curious, Sonny approached the structure when a giant boat made of candy suddenly appeared in front of him with a small robot on it wearing a purple overcoat and matching pirate hat. It pointed its lollipop staff at Sonny and said, " _Turn back now, or face the consequences._ "

"But I came all this way," Sonny responded. "Can't I have a little peek?"

In response, the ship tossed a large cannonball-shaped object at Sonny. Fortunately, he managed to dodge it before the object exploded upon impact.

"So we're going to do this the hard way, then," Sonny said and transformed into Sonic. "Let's dance!"

As the ship tossed more cannonballs into the air, Sonic managed to leap onboard and pull a switch which caused the ship to start sinking. Sonic managed to get off on time, then the pirate robot followed. He sent some of his lackeys after Sonic, who turned to a nearby Wisp that had a yellow triangular body, a single red eye, and tentacle-like arms. The two merged bodies, and Sonic was transformed into a yellow drill-shaped object that immediately burrowed underneath the cake-layered crust. The lackeys followed him by transforming into drills themselves and after Sonic managed to destroy them underground he came up beneath the pirate robot and knocked him off his feet from underneath a couple of times before the robot went flying and exploded on the sinking ship. Once that happened, the electrical fence dissipated and Sonic changed back into Sonny once the Yellow Wisp left his body.

"Sonny," Miles said with Yacker following behind him.

"Hey, Miles," Sonny said. "You just missed the best robot beating ever."

"Oh, well I managed to get more information from Yacker," Miles responded. "It turns out that he actually met Sonic and Tails when they were alive and actually helped them stop Eggman from using this device he made that was powered by the Hyper-go-on energy that's inside Wisps."

"So what exactly is Hyper-go-on energy? Some kind of battery that powers the Wisps or something?"

"No, it's their life-force but it makes them extremely powerful which you get a taste of every time they merge with your body."

To this, Yacker nodded.

"Then if Eggman's capturing these Wisps for their Hyper-go-on energy, that means he's actually killing them," Sonny realized.

Yacker shook his head and made a series of nervous gestures.

"Yacker says that Eggman doesn't kill the Wisps he drains Hyper-go-on energy from," Miles said looking at his PAD. "Instead, he replaces them with a substitute energy that turns the Wisps into…negative versions of themselves."

"Hmm, well I'm going to free more Wisps while you ponder that," Sonny said and took off.

###

On the next planet known as Starlight Carnival, Sonny found himself not on a physical planet but a densely packed fleet of ships floating through space in a cloud of purple cosmic dust. Miles followed right behind and after battling several robots and freeing more Wisps, the two boys came to a structure that was similar to the one Sonny found on Sweet Mountain.

"Do you know what these things are?" Sonny asked pointing at the structure.

"Yeah, Yacker says that they're generators that Eggman made to keep the Wisp planets tethered to the park itself," Miles responded. "So if we deactivate them, we'll free the Wisp planets from Eggman's grasp."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sonny said and was about to approach the generator when Eggman suddenly appeared from behind it in his Egg Mobile.

"Sonny, look out!" Miles said and pushed Sonny out of the way as Eggman fired a bright purple laser from a laser-cannon that was strapped to the Egg Mobile.

As Sonny was knocked out of the way, Miles was hit by the laser which zapped him and knocked him out cold.

"Miles!" Sonny exclaimed and ran over to him.

But to his surprise, Miles got back up but his face was expressionless.

"Um, Miles?" Sonny said waving a hand in front of him. "Hello? Buddy?"

"Ho-ho-ho!" Eggman chuckled. "He's my buddy now!"

"What did you do to him?" Sonny shouted pointing at Eggman.

"Oh, nothing, just zapped him with a mind control beam powered by the Hyper-go-on energy I collected from the Wisps," Eggman said frankly. "So to get to me, you'll have to go through your best friend."

Angered, Sonny tried to attack Eggman but he kept being blocked by Miles as the laser beam that came from the cannon seemed to follow his every movement as well.

"Well, this turned out better than I expected, and I only used a small prototype to pull this off," Eggman said musingly. "The only way to make this better is if I made you two fight!"

Upon hearing this, Miles started to walk slowly toward Sonny with a mean look on his face.

"You don't want to do this, Miles!" Sonny said backing away. "Come on, snap out of it! You survived becoming a cyborg slave to the Zeti! This is nothing compared to that!"

For a moment, Miles faltered as he shifted between himself and Tails before collapsing into Sonny's arms.

"Are you okay?" Sonny asked as Miles regained consciousness.

"What happened?" Miles asked wearily. "And why do I feel so tingly?"

"Lousy cheap alien energy!" Eggman said slamming his fist on the control panel. "Must've run out of juice, but I'll be back for more and in the meantime here's a private tour guide to help you navigate through the park."

As Eggman took off, a large neon-colored blimp appeared right next to Sonny and Miles.

"Some tour guide this turned out to be," Sonny said and transformed into Sonic as the blimp flew off down a starry lane that appeared right underneath Sonic's feet as he ran.

The blimp in turn shot several blasts of lasers at Sonic but he managed to dodge them and rammed into the blimp's cannons with his Homing Attack which completely demolished them. As the ship fell apart several containers with Wisps fell out of it. Among them, Sonic found the Cyan Wisp and used it to become the Cyan Laser which shot right through the blimp and caused it to explode behind him. Then he retraced his steps back to the generator which shut down immediately upon his arrival.

"What did you think of the tour guide?" Miles asked mockingly as Sonic changed back into Sonny once the Cyan Wisp left his body.

"The guide was lousy, but the tour was amazing," Sonny said and noticed Yacker. "So any luck trying to see if Yacker knows where the satellites are?"

"Well, I drew a picture of a satellite for him but he doesn't seem to know where they are," Miles said wearily. "He only knows that Eggman is using generators to keep the Wisp planets attached to the park while capturing any Wisps that try to escape him to drain them of Hyper-go-on energy to—

"Power a mind control device," Sonny interrupted which made Miles flinch. "You were brainwashed when Eggman spewed it to me."

"Oh, I see," Miles replied. "Now as for this substitute energy that Eggman's feeding the Wisps that he does capture so they don't die is a mystery to Yacker, but he describes it as being dark and evil."

"Dark and evil?" Sonny thought long and hard about it until he remembered something that made him shiver suddenly.

"What's wrong, Sonny?" Miles asked.

"Nothing, just a slight chill," Sonny said dismissively. "Um, so how many generators are there?"

"Yacker says there's five."

"Two have already been decimated by Sonic, so that means there are three left."

"Exactly, and I found maps that'll take us to the three remaining planets that have these generators."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and take out those generators so we can free aliens and hopefully find those satellites!" Sonny said and took off while Miles followed alongside Yacker.

To be continued…


	109. Chapter 109: Negative

Chapter 109: Negative

"Whew!" Sonny said as he emerged from a large olympic-sized swimming pool filled with coral and robotic fish of all shapes and sizes that was on the planet Eggman called Aquarium Park. "I never thought I'd live to see the day when Sonic and I could swim underwater."

"Neither did I," Miles said while Yacker nodded in agreement. "Of course, the feat was made possible when you absorbed the Yellow Wisp and turned into that drill-shaped thing."

"True," Sonny looked over at the Yellow Wisp and waved to it. "Thanks, buddy."

The Yellow Wisp spun around joyously and floated away.

"The Wisps really seem to like you," Miles noted.

"Maybe it's because I'm not trying to enslave them," Sonny replied.

"Or because they recognize Sonic's spirit when they merge with you," Miles suggested. "I mean, according to Yacker, Sonic is considered to be an eternal hero to them."

"Well, that's comforting." Sonny then noticed a generator several feet away and said, "I'm going to go shut down that generator. See if you can find those missing satellites somewhere on this planet, Miles."

"Sure thing," Miles said and transformed into Tails so he could fly away along with Yacker.

In a few moments, Sonny came up to the generator and was about to shut it off when Eggman's voice blared over the loud speakers. " _While you_ _'_ _re in Aquarium Park, be sure to visit Eggman_ _'_ _s number one restaurant for underwater-dining, the Bucket O_ _'_ _Sushi! Now with fish!_ "

"Ugh, sounds disgusting," Sonny muttered.

Just then, a large mechanical koi fish appeared right beside him making noises as it scales shifted and its robot eyes opened and shut.

"Oh, you don't like my review of your restaurant?" Sonny said mockingly as he transformed into Sonic. "Then give me your best dishes so I can clobber them!"

As the giant fish submerged under the water, Sonic followed behind and swam onto the fish which turned out to be the deck of a ship. While the ship threw tracking missiles at him, Sonic swam rapidly towards a switch which caused the fish to sink further. Then before Sonic ran out of air, he found the Yellow Wisp who helped him earlier and merged with it to form the Yellow Drill which he used to slam into the robot that was piloting the fish which wore a white lab coat and had a bald head. Once he did this a couple of times, the robot exploded and Sonic flew triumphantly out of the water back onto the platform where the generator was. While Sonic changed back into Sonny as the Yellow Wisp left his body, Tails appeared along with Yacker.

"How did it go, Sonny?" Tails asked as he changed back into Miles.

"Pretty good," Sonny said breathlessly. "Though I wish there was some way I could maintain Sonic's form after each Wisp I absorb leaves my body."

"I'm not sure if that's possible," Miles said then he suddenly clutched his stomach and groaned.

"What's wrong?" Sonny asked.

"I stopped by the Bucket O'Sushi while looking for the satellites, and let's just say that Eggman's cruelty knows no bounds."

###

After taking a ride on a roller-coaster that looped around several asteroids and artificial planets floating around the fourth Wisp Planet known as Asteroid Coaster, Sonic came across a dark purple Wisp with a horn-shaped head, no eyes, a jagged mouth, and sleeve-like arms. As several robots ran towards him and his way was blocked by several large crates made of black and silver material, Sonic desperately merged with the Purple Wisp which transformed him into a dark purple version of the Cyan Laser which had massive teeth that devoured everything in its path including the robots and crates. During all this, Sonic lost control of himself and by the time the Wisp left his body he collapsed onto the ground.

"Sonic!" Miles said and ran over as Sonic changed back into Sonny. "Are you okay?"

Sonny groaned as he got to his knees and then he started uncontrollably shivering. "I got that same feeling again."

"What feeling?"

"The same one I felt when I became that…Werehog version of Sonic a while back."

"When you merged with that Purple Wisp?"

All of a sudden, Yacker started making loud noises causing Miles to pull out his PAD. Once he read the numbers, Miles' face looked grim. "Remember when Yacker told me about how Eggman is substituting the Wisps he drains Hyper-go-on energy from with some kind of energy that's dark and evil?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, that Wisp you merged with just now was one of them and they're apparently called Nega-Wisps."

"Nega-Wisps…" Sonny looked astray as he got to his feet still shivering. "I bet there's a factory around here that's converting the Wisps Eggman's captured into those things."

Yacker nodded and flew off in a particular direction with Sonny and Miles following behind.

###

"Well, I don't know where Yacker went, but I think we found the factory," Sonny said looking at a large room filled with thousands of Nega-Wisps inside capsules with tubes connecting to a larger capsule where Nega-Wisps were being dumped into from a machine above that had several conveyor belts leading out from it where dozens of Wisps inside smaller capsules were being fed into the machine.

"It seems Eggman has found new ways of using the Scepter of Darkness' energy for power," Miles said. "Or in this case, conversion."

"We got to rescue these poor aliens," Sonny said. "But in the meantime, I've got a generator to shut down."

"Right," Miles nodded. "I'll go look for Yacker."

Sonny then transformed into Sonic and ran out of the factory towards the generator only to come across yet another ship-shaped robot with green tubes pumping underneath it.

"Hey, you!" Sonic shouted. "I don't like what you're doing to my friends here! It's horrible and I'll be glad to take you down in less than ten-seconds if I don't pull a muscle!"

To be continued…


	110. Chapter 110: Free

Chapter 110: Free

Thanks to an orange-colored Wisp shaped like a miniature rocket, Sonic was able to transform into a rocket-shaped creature that blasted the underside of the green-tubed ship a couple of times which blasted it away into the depths of space beyond Asteroid Coaster. Then once he got back to the generator its electrical field shut off like the others.

"You did it, Sonic!" Miles exclaimed as Sonic heaved a deep sigh as the Orange Wisp left his body and he changed back into Sonny. "Now we only have one more planet to go!"

"And which one is that?" Sonny said breathlessly.

"Planet Wisp, the original home-world of all the Wisps we've encountered so far," Miles replied.

"But what about the other planets we've visited up till now?"

"They were colonized by the Wisps later on as their population grew, but they originally came from the planet Wisp."

"Oh, I see." Sonny briefly scratched his head and then said, "Maybe we'll find Yacker there."

"Possibly, and those missing satellites," Miles said as he followed Sonny towards the exit to Asteroid Coaster.

###

"All right, the last generator!" Sonny said and was about to approach it when another floating Ferris Wheel appeared with a similar robot attached though this one was green and not red.

"Really? Another Ferris Wheel?" Sonny whined as he became Sonic. "I think Eggman's starting to run out of ideas at this point!"

Using a pink Wisp with a spiky head, Sonic transformed into a pink spiky ball that was able to stick to the surface of each rolling orb that circled around the robot. Then when the robot was most vulnerable, Sonic attacked it twice with a Homing Attack which caused the robot to explode and the Ferris Wheel to crash. Fortunately, Sonic got off just as the Pink Wisp left his body and he turned into Sonny once more.

Miles appeared just as the generator shut down and said, "I couldn't find Yacker anywhere on this planet, but I found something that might help us find the missing satellites."

"What is it?" Sonny asked as Miles presented him with a broken antennae.

"I used my PAD to scan it, and this broken antennae belonged to one of the satellites that disappeared," Miles said. "If I could attach this to my PAD, I could emit a signal that'll take me directly to where the satellites are as they'll be on the same frequency."

"Good idea, now let's get off this planet before the chains start to come loose."

###

Back on the Tropical Resort, Sonny and Miles watched as the chain-shaped tractor beams vanished while the remaining Wisps flew around them in joyous circles.

"Sweet!" Miles exclaimed. "With the tractor beams gone, the Wisp Planets are free!"

"I sure wish Yacker was here to see this," Sonny said solemnly.

"Yeah, I hope he's okay," Miles said. "Now let's find those missing satellites, blow this joint, and head home."

"But what about the Wisps?"

"They'll be fine. Yacker told me earlier that they can fly through space so they can go to their planets once we blow up this park."

"All right, sounds like a plan."

While the Wisps flew around and danced, Miles and Sonny followed the signal that Miles' PAD picked up from the antennae he attached. Eventually, they came to a storage room that was full of satellites that were turned off and clustered together.

"This shouldn't take long," Sonny said enthusiastically as he picked up a satellite. "With the Wisps' help, I could fly out into space and put these satellites back into orbit."

"Yeah, but be sure to place them far away from the park so that when we explode this place they don't get destroyed."

"Right," Sonny said and found a green Wisp with three stubby legs, a round body, and a singular blue eye. "Hey, would you mind lending me a hand?"

The Green Wisp nodded and merged with Sonny just as he transformed into Sonic to become a floating green head that floated. With the satellite in its grasp, Sonic's Green Hover form floated to a tube that led him out into the vast reaches of space where he floated towards Mobius and released the satellite which immediately went into orbit. This continued several times as one Green Wisp left Sonic's body only to be taken over by another. So by the time Sonic got every single satellite back into orbit, he not only collapsed but could also barely move as he became Sonny once again.

"I hope the Commander gives us some kind of reward when we get back," Sonny murmured as Miles helped him up.

"He'll probably be mad at us for trying to deal with Eggman ourselves instead of letting Team Dark and Neo handle it," Miles sighed.

"You mean Shawn, Rouge, Omega, Silva, and Blake?" Sonny asked.

"Of course," Miles nodded. "That's their team names."

"Did they call themselves that before or after the EX-Gear tournament?"

"I think after."

"Pretty bad idea considering they used those names on international TV."

"I know, but you got to admit the names are pretty cool."

Then before Sonny could reply, a large explosion occurred above their heads which caused the Wisps to go into a frenzy as purple energy exploded from four tubes that converged around a ring that circled around the space elevator track. Then the purple energy gathered into a single entity that blasted off into the far reaches of space with a hollow laughter following in its wake.

"What the heck was that?" Sonny said.

"I don't know," Miles said shivering slightly. "But I didn't like it."

"Same here, now let's get to the space elevator before something worse happens."

"I'm with you on that!"

The two boys quickly transformed into Sonic and Tails as they made their way out of Tropical Resort and arrived at the space elevator just as the floor beneath them started to shake heavier. But before they could get in, a giant purple robot with massive teeth, serpentine heads, and several tubes filled with purple energy appeared behind them. Then underneath a grey-tinted glass dome Sonic and Tails could see Eggman's face.

To be continued…


	111. Chapter 111: Home

Chapter 111: Home

"Leaving so soon?" Eggman said as the dome came down. "You haven't even visited the gift shop yet."

"I'm not the type to buy cheap stuff that'll sit on my shelf for months," Sonic said.

"Then let me at least _stamp_ you hand so you can come back," Eggman said clenching his fist.

Sonic sighed and said, "You know this whole amusement park pun thing was lame the first time. Just saying you're going to destroy us would've been a lot better from the beginning."

After Eggman grumbled he said, "No matter. I will destroy you and I will be invincible!"

"Oh, yeah? With what?" Sonic said sarcastically.

"This robot is powered by the little friends you tried to save earlier," Eggman said as the robot he sat in roared menacingly. "Now considering how much power you experienced with just one Wisp, you can imagine how powerful this robot truly is."

"What's the plan, Sonic?" Tails asked, standing close to the doors of the space elevator which were open.

Sonic paused and then he said, "Take care of Sonny's friend for me."

In an instant, Sonic pushed Tails into the space elevator which closed shut and then Sonic pressed the button for it to go down to Mobius.

"See you on the ground, buddy!" Sonic said as the space elevator sped down toward the planet below. Then he turned to Eggman and said, "As for you, Eggman, you're going down!"

"Bring it on, hedgehog boy!" Eggman retorted.

As Eggman piloted the robot onto the ring that surrounded the space elevator track, Sonic followed. At first, Eggman tried shooting lasers at Sonic while occasionally throwing purple blocks in his path, but Sonic dodged all of them and rammed into the robot's engines with his Homing Attack. This in turn caused the robot's serpentine heads to cough up a couple of normal Wisps each time Sonic hit it. When this happened, the robot's Wisp-based powers dwindled. So Sonic used the Wisps he gained to deal heavier damage to the robot until every single type of Wisp was flying alongside him including the purple one.

While Eggman's robot floundered along the path barely able to stay afloat, the seven Wisps flew in front of Sonic forming a rainbow-colored window that showed the dome with Eggman's nervous face inside it. Smirking, Sonic curled up into a ball and using the energy boost that the Wisps' energy gave him he rammed right into the dome which caused it to crack and Eggman to lose control of his own robot which crashed onto the ring's track and fell apart into several broken pieces. Then just when Sonic was about to run towards Eggman inside his Egg Mobile, a large purple sphere appeared above them which started sucking everything into it including the Tropical Resort, the Wisp Planets, and even the upper part of the space elevator track.

"Uh oh, not this again," Sonic muttered and took off down the space elevator toward Mobius.

He managed to dodge all the incoming pieces of the track that were flying up toward the purple sphere as it grew bigger each second, and even jumped over the large gaping holes in the track. However, an explosion behind Sonic caused him to lose his footing and he found himself flying toward the purple sphere when a piece of debris hit his head and knocked him out cold.

###

When Sonny came to, he found himself being carried down to Mobius by the seven Wisps who aided Sonic during his battle with Eggman. The combined energy they let off created a multi-colored bubble around Sonny that protected him from the vacuum of space which quickly went away as the Wisps entered Mobius' atmosphere and came in a grassy field that was several miles away from the space elevator which collapsed as dozens of civilians were being escorted away by G. U. N. soldiers. Meanwhile, Sonny was lowered down by the Wisps as he unsteadily touched the ground and fell to his knees.

"Sonny!" Miles said running towards him. "What happened? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonny said as he shakily stood up causing Miles to help him to his feet. "Sonic beat Eggman with help from these Wisps, and then this purple sphere appeared causing everything to get sucked into it."

"Sounds like a black-hole," Miles said looking at the seven Wisps as they flew up toward a bright spherical light that was partially visible in the sky above. "I hope it doesn't absorb Mobius."

As Sonny watched the debris of the space elevator raining down from space, he noticed flashes of red, pink, white, purple, and black followed by the debris being completely destroyed.

"I'm guessing that's Team Dark and Neo at work," Sonny said wearily.

"Most likely," Miles said. "Once the satellites were placed into orbit, I imagine G. U. N. was able to see what was going on and responded to it immediately by sending soldiers to rescue the civilians from being hit by the falling debris while its agents are busy preventing the debris from harming the civilians."

"Makes sense." Then Sonny saw a blue light fly down from the sphere in the sky and it was none other than Yacker.

"Hey, where have you been?" Miles said gladly and took out his PAD as Yacker started talking.

"What's he saying?" Sonny asked.

"He says that he's sorry for leaving us and thanks us for saving his race once more," Miles replied.

"Well, all is forgiven and Sonic's the real hero he should be thanking, not me," Sonny said.

Yacker shook his head and made several gestures.

"Yacker disagrees," Miles said and smiled as he read the incoming numbers on his PAD. "Since we were willing to risk our lives to save his kind, he considers us to be heroes too."

"Suits me fine," Sonny smirked and noticed Yacker's eye look wearisome as he made more noises. "What is he saying now, Miles?"

"He's saying he has to get going as the black-hole is taking his race and their planets back to their original place in the galaxy, and wishes us good luck on our future adventures," Miles said as his eyes started to get teary.

"Oh, well it was fun while it lasted," Sonny said and jumped up giving Yacker a high five in the process. "See you around!"

"Have a safe trip!" Miles said as he gave Yacker a high five as well.

Then Yacker flew around their heads before taking off into the sky where the sphere of light blinked for a second and then vanished.

To be continued…


	112. Chapter 112: Birthday

**So here we are! The final story-arc of** _ **Sonic Reborn**_ **which will be based on** _ **Sonic Generations**_ **. Now what** **'** **s going to be different this time is instead of Classic Sonic meeting with Modern Sonic, it will be Sonny encountering both versions of the non-human Sonic the Hedgehog. Same goes for Sonny and Sonic's friends** **. Also, the areas they encounter will be a mix of the ones Sonny has been to as well as Sonic** **'** **s hence the Chemical Plant area which Sonny never went to back in the early story-arcs of this fan-fiction. Hope you all enjoy the last few chapters this series has to offer and be sure to check out my other works!**

Chapter 112: Birthday

"Heads up, guys!" Miles said running toward a picnic bench in the middle of Central City's largest park. "Sonny's heading this way!"

Then just after Miles spoke, Sonny caught up to him and looked at the picnic table with confusion. Not only was Miles standing nearby, but Amelia, Chuck, Crème, Cheese, Rouge Baxter, Victor, Charles, and Espen all seemed to be huddled around the picnic table obscuring whatever was on it from Sonny's vision.

"What's going on?" Sonny asked.

"Surprise!" Everyone suddenly shouted as they turned aside to reveal a blue and white cake with Sonny's face on it with the number '20' on it.

Taken aback, Sonny sighed deeply and said, "Wow, you really got me!"

"We know you typically don't like surprises, but we thought we'd make up for your parents being absent on this special day of yours," Miles said.

"Aw, you didn't have to do this for me," Sonny replied as everyone at the picnic table started putting together hotdogs from the assorted ingredients that were laid out.

"But I insisted that we do it!" Amelia said and kissed Sonny on the cheek. "It's not everyday that you turn 20!"

"Yeah, and in one more year you'll be of drinking age," Victor said as he swallowed three hotdogs at once.

"I suppose," Sonny shrugged. "But where's Michael?"

"He's currently working on a case with his partner Rae Squirrel," Charles answered. "So he couldn't make it to your party."

"What about Shawn and Silva?" Sonny said to Rouge.

"They said they'd be here," Rouge said and turned to Chuck. "Right?"

"I think so," Chuck said through a mouthful of hotdog.

"Well, before they get here, happy birthday, Sonny!" Miles said presenting Sonny with a chili-dog wrapped in a red ribbon. "Unlike the other hotdogs here, this one's handmade."

"Really?" Sonny grabbed the chili-dog from Miles' hands and took a bite of it. "Mmm, tastes like it's handmade. Thanks, Miles!"

"No problem!" Miles smiled.

But just as Sonny was about to finish the chili-dog a strange purple vortex appeared in the sky above the park, followed by a shockwave that knocked everything off the picnic table including the birthday cake.

"What is that?" Miles asked as something emerged from the vortex.

"I don't know," Sonny replied as the thing appeared to be a massive black shadow with a menacing grin, claw-like hands, and clockwork gears emerging behind its back.

"It looks scary," Crème said shivering slightly clutching Cheese close to her breast.

"Whatever it is, I don't remember inviting him," Chuck said clenching his fists.

The shadow then roared as it approached Sonny and his friends but then it froze as a light blue aura surrounded it followed by several gunshots that appeared along the shadow's body.

"Hey, Sonny," Silva said as he floated down from a nearby tree with his hands outstretched. "Long time, no see."

"Silva!" Blake exclaimed.

"It's no good," Shawn said suddenly appearing next to Silva in a flash of light. "My bullets aren't affecting that thing."

"Shawn!" Rouge said irritably. "What took you and Silva so long?"

"We were on our way when we saw that thing appear in the sky, and figured you guys were in trouble," Silva explained. "Good thing we showed up when we did."

At that moment, the blue aura that surrounded the shadowy creature suddenly faded.

"What the—?

Several holes suddenly appeared along the creature's body showing different locations inside them. Their gravitational force was so great that Sonny and his friends were getting pulled towards them. While some like Charles, Crème, Cheese, Espen, and Amelia got immediately sucked into the portal-like holes, others like Chuck, Rouge, Victor, and Miles held onto the picnic table for dear life.

"I don't suppose either of you have a Chaos Emerald on hand," Sonny asked as he, Shawn, and Silva stood their ground.

"Were we supposed to bring one?" Shawn asked mockingly as he continued firing at the shadowy creature with his gun.

"Then I guess we have no choice but transform," Silva said as the same light-blue aura that surrounded the creature engulfed him. "Let's do this, Silver!"

But before he could fully transform, the shadowy creature grabbed Silva with one of its claw-like hands while taking Shawn in the other.

"What are doing to my friends?" Sonny asked the shadowy creature as Shawn and Silva suddenly vanished inside the creature's hands. "Let them go!"

"Sonny!" Miles cried as he let go of the picnic table along with the others who tried to hold on. "Help us!"

"Miles!" Sonny cried as the last of his friends were absorbed into the portal-like holes. "Hold on, I'll save you!"

Sonny charged head-on towards the shadowy creature and was just about to transform into Sonic when the creature swatted him back like a fly causing Sonny to hit the ground and pass out.

###

When Sonny came to, he found himself lying in an empty space that was devoid of color completely. But as Sonny squinted his eyes, he could see the faint outlines of unknown structures in the distance.

"I know what this is," Sonny said as he got up and rubbed his head. "Sonic! Am I in your part of my mind again?"

When no answer came, Sonny shrugged and walked towards the nearest structure.

"What's the matter? You don't feel like talking?" Sonny said. "Fine, then I'll just wake up."

Sonny shut his eyes and tried to awaken himself, but nothing happened.

"Huh? That usually works."

So Sonny concentrated harder, but the world around him was still white.

"Um, Sonic, I think something's wrong," Sonny said as he approached a structure which contained the loop-the-loop rock that was next to the lake back on South Island. "Normally I would be awake right now, but something's preventing me from waking up."

Noticing the loop-the-loop rock, Sonny scratched his head in confusion.

"This is weird," Sonny noted. "Maybe Sonic's hiding here."

After taking in a deep breath, Sonny took off down the grassy lane that led up to the loop-the-loop structure at a fast pace with the color suddenly returning to it with each step he took.

To be continued…


	113. Chapter 113: Statue

Chapter 113: Statue

Once he came to the end of Green Hill, which was now fully colored, Sonny found a frozen white statue that looked like Miles. Then as Sonny approached it, the statue assumed the same colors Miles had including his medium-length blond hair, blue eyes, orange-and-white polo T-shirt, and khaki shorts. But what surprised Sonny most of all was when the statue moved and rubbed its eyes.

"Sonny," the statue said wearily.

"Miles," Sonny exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Huh?" Miles looked around the area in confusion. "Isn't this Green Hill?"

"Yeah, but it's different from the one we're familiar with," Sonny answered.

"How do you know that?" Miles then suddenly started to shiver.

"What's wrong, Miles?" Sonny asked.

"I feel…empty somehow."

"Weird, I felt the same way when I woke up." Sonny looked across the white space before him and Miles. "This may sound crazy, but I think we're in Sonic's mind."

"You mean the part of your mind that's controlled by Sonic?"

"Exactly, and the reason I know is because this is what it looked like when I talked to Sonic for the first time."

"After you collected the Chaos Emeralds to save me and Amelia from Dr. Eggman?" When Sonny nodded, Miles said, "But if that's the case, how is it possible for me to exist here?"

"I thought maybe you'd know the answer."

Miles shook his head. "Maybe Tails knows something we don't."

While Sonny shrugged, Miles closed his eyes and concentrated really hard. But after a few seconds, Miles blinked and looked baffled.

"That's odd," Miles said after a pause. "I don't feel Tails' presence at all."

"Do you remember anything after you got sucked into that shadow monster?"

"No, except the sensation of being separated from my body and floating through an endless void until you woke me up."

"Miles, you were frozen like a statue when I got here."

"Huh, this is all so puzzling." Miles then noticed a nearby structure which looked like a chemical factory. "Let's go explore that place. It doesn't look familiar to me."

"Good idea," Sonny responded and ran towards the chemical factory with Miles jogging behind.

###

"Found anything interesting?" Sonny shouted up to Miles who was standing at the top of a metal track next to a vat where pink liquid was being dumped from a nearby sewer.

"Nope, just a bunch of robots that seem really interested in killing me," Miles said running down from the top of the track as several metallic creatures appeared.

Some resembled wasps that tried to attack the boys with stingers, others resembled ladybugs that fired gunshots, with floating centipedes bringing up the rear whose bodies were electrical.

"What are we going to do?" Miles said nervously. "We can't fight against these things without Sonic and Tails."

"Not entirely," Sonny said and spun into the air landing on top of the robots' heads which broke apart and released tiny birds in the process. "I've still got my super-speed, but it's not as fast as Sonic's."

"Then that means my superior intellect must be intact as well," Miles said and walked over to the robot remains. "I'm going to try building a pair of artificial tails for me to fly around in using these parts left over from the robots. You go on ahead and bring back anything that might clue us into where we are."

"Okay, but don't you want me to stick around in case more robots show up?"

"I'll be fine," Miles replied as he started pulling wires out of the robots' bodies. "I could always hide if I need to."

Feeling a little nervous, Sonny explored the rest of the chemical plant until he came across a frozen statue that looked like Amelia. Like Miles, the color suddenly returned to her face, her hair took on its normal shade of light pink, and then her dress became magenta pink once more. Her bright green eyes blinked for a moment, and upon seeing Sonny standing before her she collapsed into his arms and embraced him.

"Oh, Sonny," Amelia said weakly. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"What happened?" Sonny asked.

"After I got sucked into that…thing, my body just went numb and I couldn't see anything but pitch blackness until you suddenly appeared in front of me."

"Is Amy still with you?"

"What? Of course she is!" Amelia closed her eyes but then opened them again. "Or, at least I thought she was."

"She's not inside you?"

"No, what about Sonic?"

"He's gone too, and so is Tails."

"Then you found Miles?"

"In Green Hill, but it was different somehow."

"In what way?"

"Well, it had robots shaped like insects crawling around the place and when I destroyed them these weird birds flew out."

"Odd," Amelia said though she sounded anxious. "Where's Miles now?"

"Back that way," Sonny said and picked Amelia up in his arms. "I'll take you to him."

Amelia held on tight as Sonny sped down through several corridors made of metal, over spikes that came out of the floor, and across bridges that curved inward. Once they got back to the place next to the sewer, Miles was flying with a pair of metallic tails that looked exactly like the ones Tails had which was controlled through a remote control attached to a metal belt wrapped around his waist.

"What do you think?" Miles said as he landed in front of them.

"Pretty cool," Sonny replied giving Miles a thumbs-up.

"Now let's see if I can carry someone with these," Miles said and grabbed Sonny's hands.

Before Sonny could object, Miles pressed a button on his belt and the tails started spinning to the point where they were airborne. As they flew around in circles, Sonny noticed Miles had piece of metal strapped across his forehead that blinked every time they moved. Then after a while, they started to lose altitude and so Miles was forced to land with Sonny intact.

"What's that thing on your head?" Sonny asked.

"It reads my brainwaves and tells the tails which way to fly through this wire that runs down my back," Miles said pointing to his back. Then he pointed to the two buttons on his belt and said, "The button on the right turns on the tails, while the one on the left turns them off."

"Sweet!" Amelia said. "You really are smart, Miles."

"I know, though I always assumed it was because of Tails," Miles said sheepishly then he gasped. "Speaking of which, I saw this weird thing running all over the chemical plant that gave off a blue blur as it ran."

"Blue blur?" Sonny said excitedly. "That had to have been Sonic."

"I thought the same thing, but he looked a lot smaller than I remembered," Miles replied.

"Which way did he go?"

"That way," Miles said pointing back the way Sonny and Amelia just came from.

"So we must've just passed him," Sonny said and picked up Amelia again. "Come on!"

Sonny took off immediately up the track with Amelia in tow.

"Hey, wait up!" Miles said and turned on the metallic tails which spun furiously as he commanded them to follow Sonny and Amelia.

To be continued…


	114. Chapter 114: Mirror

Chapter 114: Mirror

Following in the direction Sonic supposedly went, Sonny Miles and Amelia soon found themselves in an area covered in ancient ruins with the Death Egg floating in the background.

"I remember this place," Sonny said looking over the area. "It was on Angel Island when Eggman launched the Death Egg into space."

"Yeah, but I can't remember its name," Miles said scratching his head.

"Well, let's look around and see what we can find." Sonny was about to take off when Amelia grabbed his hand.

"Not without me," Amelia said.

"I think you'd be safer with Miles," Sonny said shaking his head.

But to the boys' surprise, Amelia manage to summon the Piko Hammer out of thin air and lean it in Sonny's direction.

"On second thought, maybe it would be better if you came with me," Sonny responded nervously.

"Fine," Amelia said and made the Piko Hammer vanish.

While Miles went one way on his artificial tails, Amelia and Sonny went another.

###

"Does it seem strange that we can still use our special abilities, even tough they were given to us by Sonic and his friends?" Amelia asked after she and Sonny plowed through several insect robots.

"Yeah, even though I think we're in the part of my mind that's possessed by Sonic," Sonny said watching the unusual birds fly away.

"You're still going with that theory? Maybe there's another explanation for what's going on."

"Do you have one?"

"Not at the moment," Amelia said sheepishly then she noticed a blue blur zip by them. "Hey! That was Sonic!"

"Let's follow him!" Sonny said and ran at top speed to catch up but he was still far behind Sonic.

At the end of the stone bridge, Sonny found a statue that resembled Chuck. Like at the chemical factory and Green Hill, the statue turned from white to colorful and moved on its own.

"I didn't ask to be saved, you know," Chuck said as his purple eyes blinked while holding his bandaged hands against the sides of his head where long red dreadlocks spilled out from. "But thanks, anyway."

"No problem," Sonny said folding his arms.

Once Chuck shook himself awake, he looked around and gasped. "Hey, this is Sky Sanctuary! Am I on Angel Island right now?"

"No, far from it," Amelia said as a discomforting odor wafted off of Chuck's red sports top and shorts. "Have you stopped bathing again?"

"What does my personal hygiene have to do with where we are?" Chuck asked irritably.

"Nothing, Chuck, it's just that…you kind of smell," Sonny said reluctantly.

"Well, if you can't stand my odor, then I'm leaving," Chuck said and prepared to take off the edge of the stone bridge. "Let's go, Knuckles."

Before Sonny and Amelia could stop him, Chuck leaped off the bridge and gave out a sudden cry as he fell straight down. Then just before he hit the ground below, Miles grabbed Chuck and lifted him back onto the bridge. A spark suddenly erupted from the artificial tails, causing Miles to land abruptly onto the bridge's edge but Sonny and Amelia caught him before he fell over.

"Whew, that was a close one," Miles said as he steadied himself.

"What happened?" Sonny asked.

"Because Chuck was so heavy, my artificial tails had to work overtime," Miles answered and looked down at the tails as a trail of smoke came from them. "I guess a fuse must've blown."

"Um, why is Miles using fake tails to fly?" Chuck said pointing.

"I don't feel Tails's presence inside me anymore, so I had to compensate," Miles replied.

"That's weird," Chuck said scratching his head. "Cuz I don't feel Knuckles in me either."

"And you would've fallen to your death if Miles hadn't caught you in time," Amelia said irritably.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know that would happen?" Chuck responded angrily.

"Guys, fighting about this isn't going to get us anywhere," Sonny said coming between Amelia and Chuck. "Now what was the last thing you remember, Chuck?"

"Getting sucked into that shadow-thing, and then I felt…helpless until you guys snapped me out of it," replied Chuck.

"Kind of sounds similar to our stories," Miles said. "So if we're here, that means—

"Everyone else who was at the birthday party is somewhere in this place too," Sonny interjected. "Now I'm starting to have second thoughts about my original theory."

"What theory?" Chuck wondered.

"He thinks we're in Sonic's mind," Amelia said.

"Though technically the part of Sonny's mind that's being controlled by Sonic," Miles added.

"Oh, but why is a part of Angel Island here? This is what I see when I visit Knuckles in my head, kind of."

"Maybe this place is related to something that happened between him and Knuckles," Sonny said thoughtfully.

"That's it!" Miles exclaimed. "If we really are in Sonic's mind, then all the places we've been visiting up till now are physical manifestations of memories Sonic had of when he was alive."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain why we're here if this is supposed to be part of Sonny's mind," Amelia said.

"I haven't figured that part out yet," Miles replied. "But maybe the further we go, the more clues we'll find."

"Sounds good to me," Sonny said and led the way across the stone bridge.

"Ugh, I'm so confused," Chuck murmured.

###

While traversing Sky Sanctuary, Sonny came into a large hallway full of mirrors on both sides. The others were off exploring different areas including the places they had been to already, so Sonny was all alone at the moment. But when he glanced at one of the mirrors, he saw a small creature standing there in the exact same position as him. Upon closer inspection, Sonny saw that it was a hedgehog with blue spikes, small ears, a pointy black nose, narrow black eyes, and it wore white gloves on its hands and red sneakers on its feet standing upright like a human.

"What the heck is that?" Sonny wondered as he leaned closer while the hedgehog did the same.

" _Like what you see, Sonny?_ " Eggman's voice cried from a mirror that stood above a stone mantle at the end of the hallway. " _Of course, this may be the last time you get a good look at yourself before I eliminate you for good!_ "

At that instant, the blue hedgehog took off toward the mirror at the end of the hallway until he was nothing more than a blur.

"Whoa, that thing is fast!" Sonny said and tried to catch up as the hedgehog disappeared into the mirror at the end of the hallway.

But by the time Sonny reached it, the mirror vanished and he hit a stone wall. Fortunately, he managed to knock himself back before slamming into the wall completely, but was baffled by the mirror's absence. So he went and looked for Miles who stood outside Sky Sanctuary where a purple and black-colored portal had suddenly opened.

"Where did that come from?" Sonny asked.

"I'm not sure, but it appeared here not too long ago," Miles said.

Then just after Miles spoke, the blue hedgehog emerged from the portal.

"Sonic!" cried a small child-like voice.

Sonny and Miles turned around and saw a small yellow fox with two tails that stood upright with white-and-red sneakers on its feet. It ran toward the blue hedgehog with a happy grin on its face and the two creatures embraced.

"Sonic?" Miles and Sonny said out loud with perplexed faces.

The yellow fox then broke from the embrace and noticed Sonny and Miles standing nearby. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there. I'm Miles Prower, but you can call me Tails."

To be continued…


	115. Chapter 115: Time

Chapter 115: Time

"I think I've figured out what's going on here," said the yellow fox that called itself Tails.

"So have I," Miles said in conjunction.

"Then let's hear it," Sonny said glancing occasionally at the blue hedgehog that was apparently named Sonic.

"We're traveling through time and space!" Miles and Tails said together.

This in turn caused Sonny and Sonic to flinch in surprise.

"How is that possible?" Sonny asked scratching his head.

"I'm guessing that thing that took our friends must have something to do with it," Miles answered.

"That's what I think, too," Tails said nodding. "And Sonic told me that he fought Eggman inside the portal just now before Eggman was mysteriously kidnapped by the black thing you were talking about."

Then right before Sonny could reply, the ground started shaking and a vortex similar to the one that appeared over the park emerged above the portal.

"There it is!" Miles exclaimed as the same black shadowy creature came from the vortex.

It flew over their heads several times before vanishing into a similar vortex above a city landscape that looked like Station Square before it was destroyed by Chaos.

"Where did it go?" Tails wondered.

"Looks like it went that way," Sonny said pointing toward the city. "We need to stop that thing, and fast!"

Sonny and Sonic then took off toward the city while Miles and Tails watched.

###

"Sonny," Crème said once she and Cheese were no longer a statues. "I was so scared when that monster took me, but now that you're here I feel much better."

"Well, that's good," Sonny said.

"Cheese!" Sonic suddenly exclaimed which surprised both Sonny and Crème as his voice sounded like a teenage boy's.

In response, Cheese flew over to Sonic who had significantly changed since Sonny last looked at him. He was now a little taller than before, with longer legs, bigger spikes, and his eyes had gone from black to green.

"Who's your new friend?" Crème asked as she watched Cheese fly around Sonic's head. "Cheese really seems to like him."

"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog," Sonic said and soon noticed Sonny's surprised look. "You didn't think I could talk, right?"

"Um, no," Sonny said dubiously. "Where I come from, hedgehogs don't speak."

"Huh, that's not the case in my world," Sonic replied.

"Are you really Sonic? You don't look human," Crème noticed.

"Am I supposed to be?" Sonic asked.

"It's a long story," Sonny answered.

Then a huge tidal wave suddenly overtook Station Square forcing Sonic and Sonny to move to higher ground carrying Crème and Cheese with them.

"I wonder why Cream is not present," Crème said as she jumped up and down trying to fly.

"You know Cream the Rabbit?" Sonic said looking at Crème.

"Yes, she lives inside me," Crème answered though Sonny shook his head at her.

"Come again?" Sonic said with a confused expression on his face.

A deafening roar shook the buildings as a menacing creature emerged from the water.

"Hold that thought!" Sonic said. "I've got a date with Chaos!"

Before Sonny could stop him, Sonic leaped down and attacked Chaos head-on by plunging through its serpentine body and popping out its head.

"He's doing the same thing I did when Chaos attacked Station Square," Sonny said. "You weren't here when that happened, right?"

"No, I wasn't, but you told me about it," Crème said shaking her head. "Where are we, exactly?"

"According to Miles, we're in the past but not the one we know," Sonny answered. "This is what Mobius looked like when Sonic was alive."

"No way," Crème said shivering while Cheese tried to comfort her. "There was a Station Square and Chaos back then too?"

"It seems that way," Sonny said as Sonic managed to finish off Chaos.

"Sorry about that," Sonic said appearing before Sonny and Crème in a flash. "Now what were you saying about Cream?"

"Um, I think she was talking about someone else," Sonny said closing Crème's mouth before she had the chance to speak.

"Are you sure?" Sonic said dubiously.

"Positive!" Sonny said flinching as Crème bit his hands.

"Okay, then let's keep looking for that shadow monster."

Once Sonic was far enough away, Sonny moved his hands away from Crème's mouth as Cheese lightly bopped him on the head.

"What did you do that for?" Crème said angrily.

"We can't tell Sonic that him and his friends die and inhabit our bodies as spirits in our time," Sonny replied.

"Why not?" Crème asked.

"I don't think he'd take the news well."

"Oh, I see. So what are we supposed to do?"

"For now, we need to find the rest of our friends and let them know what's going on."

"Okay, then I'll do that," Crème said and suddenly floated into the air while Cheese flew alongside her. "Oh, my, I guess I can fly without Cream, after all."

"See you later, then, and be careful!" Sonny said as Crème floated away.

"I will!" Crème replied as she and Cheese disappeared over the skyscrapers.

###

"Hey, Sonny," Rouge Baxter said once she was no longer a frozen statue standing on a sidewalk in an area that looked like Central City. "I'm sure glad you're here. You have no idea what I just went through."

"We'll talk about this later," Sonny said and picked her up. "Some G. U. N. soldiers just showed up and they're after Sonic."

Before Rouge could question him further, Sonny took off with her holding on tightly as they scaled a building and jumped from rooftop to rooftop while Sonic ran through the streets outrunning several G. U. N. drones. Eventually, night fell and Sonny nearly lost track of Sonic until he noticed several explosions occurring a few blocks away. But once Sonny and Rouge got there, Sonic had just defeated a G. U. N. drone when there was a flash of light and a black hedgehog with red headlights that looked similar to Sonic appeared.

"Shadow!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Shadow?" Sonny and Rouge said staring at the black hedgehog with confused looks.

"Yes, it is I, the Ultimate Life-Form," the black hedgehog said smugly in the same deep quiet voice that Sonny heard being spoken through Shawn when they first met.

"What are you doing here?" Sonic asked.

"I came here to offer you a challenge," Shadow replied and a black and purple portal opened behind him. "Follow me if you dare."

As Shadow disappeared through the portal, Sonic followed him. Then Sonny and Rouge jumped down from the building they were standing on and attempted to follow Sonic through the portal when another flash of light appeared in front of them and Shawn appeared with his head tilted downward.

"Shawn!" Rouge exclaimed and walked up to him. "Where've you been?"

When Shawn didn't answer, Rouge huffed. "Well, if you're not going to answer, then Sonny and I will be leaving. A couple of talking hedgehogs disappeared in that portal behind you, and one of them called himself 'Shadow.'"

As Rouge tried to walk past Shawn, he blocked her way and tilted his head up. Sonny noticed that Shawn's eyes were no longer their usual crimson red color. Instead, they had changed to pale gray.

"Do not…interfere," Shawn said hesitantly.

"What's wrong with you, Shawn?" Rouge said irritably as Shawn followed her movements. "You're not acting like your usual self right now."

"That's because he isn't," Sonny said putting a hand on Rouge's shoulder. "He's behaving the same way Miles did after getting zapped by Eggman's mind-control device on Asteroid Coaster."

"Then you're saying he's brainwashed?" Rouge looked nervously at Shawn. "How do we snap him out of it?"

"I'm not sure," Sonny responded. "I just encouraged Miles to snap out of it, and that seemed to do the trick. But then I learned later the reason Miles snapped out was because the amount of energy Eggman gave him was small, so the effect didn't last long. Now I don't know how much energy Shawn's been given, assuming this is Eggman's doing, but try encouraging him."

"I know just the thing." Rouge pressed herself against Shawn and embraced him tightly before kissing him full on the lips.

Shawn's eyes briefly changed color till they settled back to crimson red. When this happened, Shawn pushed Rouge away and wiped his mouth in disgust.

"Now there's the Shawn I know and love," Rouge said giggling.

"Rouge," Shawn said growling through his teeth. "Don't ever…do that…again."

To Rouge's surprise, Shawn's eyes then suddenly went back to pale gray and he attacked Sonny before Rouge could stop him.

To be continued…


	116. Chapter 116: Emeralds

Chapter 116: Emeralds

"Sonny! Sonic!" Miles said approaching the two who were standing before a black and purple portal that opened in the white space between Central City which was fully colored and the colorless Seaside Hill area. Tails flew next to him and like Sonic he had changed as well.

He was now a little taller with blue eyes instead of black and his tails had grown longer too.

"Let me guess," Sonny said with his arms crossed. "Tails went through a growth-spurt."

"Well, yeah, but that's not why we came here," Tails said, sounding a little more mature than before but still child-like. "Miles and I have been putting more pieces together about what's going on, and it's not good."

"Then spill it already," Sonic said.

Before Tails answered him, another black and purple vortex appeared and the shadowy monster flew right over them before vanishing in another vortex.

"That thing that brought you and your friends here is ripping holes in the space-time continuum causing all the places from our past to become lifeless," Tails said.

"But with the combined speed of both Sonny and Sonic, life has been restored to the areas we've visited," Miles added.

"Then we got to run like there's no tomorrow," Sonic said and took off towards Seaside Hill.

But before Sonny could follow him, Miles held him back.

"Did you find any more of our friends?" Miles asked.

"Yeah, I found Crème in Station Square then Rouge and Shawn in Central City," Sonny answered.

"Were they all right?"

"Crème was fine, Rouge was okay, but Shawn acted really weird so I had to defeat him in a one-on-one battle."

"Why did you do that?"

"He behaved like you did back on Asteroid Coaster when Eggman zapped you with that mine-control device thingy."

Miles' eyebrows furrowed. "Maybe Eggman's somehow connected with all of this."

"Possibly."

###

Once Sonny managed to catch up to Sonic, they traversed the majority of Seaside Hill until they came across a frozen statue of Espen.

"Another friend of yours?" Sonic said as Espen's hair-color turned to its normal purple hue along with his matching clothes.

Sonny nodded as Espen blinked briefly and looked quizzically at Sonic.

"Is that a…hedgehog?" Espen wondered.

"You got it!" Sonic said giving Espen a thumbs-up.

In response, Espen raised an eyebrow and looked at Sonny. "Where are we?"

"We're at the Seaside Hill of Sonic's Mobius," Sonny said.

"Oh," Espen responded casually. "Did that shadow-thing bring us here?"

"Pretty much."

"Have you found the others?"

"Some."

"Then I take it you haven't found Charles or Victor yet."

"No."

"Very well, I shall go look for them." Espen turned away from Sonny and Sonic and then said, "You'd best be on your guard, Sonny. That shadow-thing could strike again at any moment."

"Don't worry, Espen, I'll be fine as long as Sonic's with me," Sonny replied as Espen walked further down the beach of Seaside Hill.

"Hey, I said nothing about babysitting you," Sonic said looking up at Sonny dubiously.

"By the way, Sonic," Espen shouted getting Sonic's attention. "Do you know of a guy called Espio?"

"He's one of the Chaotix Detectives," Sonic responded. "You won't have trouble finding him unless he's invisible."

"What does he look like?" Espen asked.

"A purple chameleon."

Once again, Espen raised an eyebrow and then he disappeared from sight.

"Whoa, I guess Espio's not the only one who can turn invisible now," Sonic mused. "In my world, humans normally don't have superpowers."

###

"You guys are doing great so far!" Tails remarked once he and Miles had regrouped with Sonny and Sonic after they restored Seaside Hill. "A lot of time-periods we've been passing have been restored back to life!"

"And I've saved many of our friends along the way," Sonny added.

"True, though I wish they'd stick with me and Tails instead of going off and looking for everyone else in these places that aren't the same ones we know," Miles said wearily.

"They'll be fine, Miles," Sonny said assuredly. "Like me, they've developed abilities similar to the ones they had before they came here."

"That does seem odd given our current circumstances, but I think I have an idea to the reason behind it." Then before he could answer, Miles witnessed another vortex open and the shadowy creature appeared.

"Brace yourselves!" Sonic said as he, Sonny, Miles, and Tails ducked their heads when the creature flew over them.

It went toward another city, but this one lay in ruins with a floating Chaos Emerald. The creature eyed the Emerald and flew towards it but was met by an energy blast that came directly from the Emerald. In turn, the creature shrieked as if in pain and disappeared into a nearby vortex.

"Wow, that thing really didn't seem to like the Chaos Emerald," Tails said.

"We have Chaos Emeralds in our world, and they've always helped us in dire situations despite others trying to use them for their own gain," Miles noted.

"That's the case with our Emeralds, too," Tails said. "Maybe if we collect all seven, that'll give us enough power to drive the shadow monster away."

"Sounds like a fun adventure to me," Sonic said and eyed Sonny. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Heck yeah!" Sonny said and followed Sonic toward the ruined city.

"We'll head back to the places we've been to find any Chaos Emeralds that might be hidden," Tails said as he and Miles turned away from Sonny and Sonic. "If you find any up ahead, let us know!"

###

"Ugh, my head hurts," Blake said once she was no longer a statue.

She and Sonny was standing on a burning highway in the ruined city which Sonny realized was the future city he Miles and Chuck got sent to during their trip to Soleanna a few years back.

"It's okay, Blake," Sonny said comfortingly. "You're in safe hands."

"Sonny," Blake said as she blinked upon noticing Sonic standing beside him. "What's that?"

"What? You've never seen a hedgehog before," Sonic said and sighed mockingly. "You know, Sonny, having to explain me to your friends is getting pretty boring."

"Well, I can't help it, Sonic," Sonny said wearily. "None of them are used to seeing talking blue hedgehogs that wear sneakers."

"Oh, yeah? Well, I'm not used to fighting alongside humans that can run almost as fast as me," Sonic retorted and leaped up to grab the Silver Chaos Emerald that was floating over Blake's head. "One down, six more to go."

"What's going on, Sonny?" Blake asked as Sonic headed toward the white space that lay beyond the future city. "Where did that blue hedgehog come from and how did I get to this city?"

"I'd love to answer your questions, Blake, but me and Sonic have a timeline to save," Sonny said and ran quickly to catch up to Sonic.

To be continued…


	117. Chapter 117: Scattered

Chapter 117: Scattered

"Silva?" Sonny said recognizing the white-haired teen who stood in the middle of the burning highway. "How did you get here?"

When Silva didn't answer, Sonny walked towards him and was surprised to see that Silva's eyes were grey like Shawn's back in Central City.

"Oh, so you're brainwashed too?" Sonny said folding his arms. "Well, that's just great!"

Then just as Sonny jumped into the air to get onto the floating rails above the highway, Silva's hands glowed bright blue and Sonny was frozen stiff in place.

"Stay here," Silva said in a drugged tone.

Over Silva's head, Sonny could see Sonic dodging flying cars and debris that were being hurled by a white hedgehog that glowed the same color as Silva's hands.

"So that must be Silver," Sonny said to himself.

"Sonny!" Blake said as she leaped down from a nearby skyscraper. Then she turned to Silva and said, "Let him go."

"Can't…do that," Silva said and used his other hand to lift a car from the highway which he hurled at Blake.

Fortunately, Blake dodged the car in time and looked perplexed. "What's gotten into you?"

"He's not himself!" Sonny cried. "Something's controlling his mind. You got to snap him out of it before he kills us."

"I don't want to hurt my brother, but I guess I have no choice," Blake said and rushed at Silva before kicking him in the chest.

This caused Silva to lose his concentration and let go of Sonny as he fell several feet in front of Blake. While a blue and white blur flew past them, Sonny and Blake ran toward Silva and pinned him to the ground. As his body started to glow again, Blake put her hand over his eyes causing the aura to subside.

"What're you doing?" Sonny asked as he struggled against Silva's wiggling arms and legs.

"Blinding him," Blake answered. "He can't use his psychokinesis when he isn't able to see the object of his focus."

"I see."

"Calm down, Silva," Blake said softly into Silva's ear. "I'm right here. Just focus on my voice and come back to us."

Silva struggled, but Blake and Sonny held onto him tightly until he stopped moving and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing back here, slow-poke?" Sonic asked when he reappeared in front of Sonny and Blake. "We got to keep moving!"

As Sonic sped away, Sonny did his best to catch up while Blake stood watch over Silva who was softly moaning on the pavement as he clutched his chest.

###

Eventually, Sonny and Sonic found a frozen statue of Victor in an area that looked like Spagonia during the daytime. Once color was restored to him, he rubbed his eyes briefly and stared at Sonic with perplexed eyes.

"This is getting awkward," Sonic said after a pause.

In response, Victor yelled in surprise and fell backward. "D-D-Did that hedgehog j-just—

"Talk? Yeah, it's the norm on this version of Mobius," Sonny said nonchalantly as Sonic got bored and ran off.

"This version?" Victor said rubbing the sides of his head. "I'm so confused right now."

"According to Miles, there were two versions of our planet," Sonny responded. "The first was the one Sonic occupied, which was destroyed several thousand years ago, then a second one was formed from the remains of the first and that's the Mobius we live on."

"Okay, but what does that got to do with where we are?" Victor said and looked around. "Isn't this Spagonia? I've always wanted to go here, but couldn't get enough money to afford one trip."

"Yes, but it's the one from Sonic's Mobius, and Sonic was that blue hedgehog you just saw."

"Wait a minute. I thought Sonic looked like you but with hedgehog ears and a tail."

"So did I, but apparently while he was alive Sonic was a talking blue hedgehog."

"Weird. Then if Sonic and his friends are alive in this world, that means Vector's alive too."

"He is," Espen said, suddenly appearing out of thin air between Sonny and Victor. "But I don't think you'll be pleased to know what he looks like."

"Espen!" Victor exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

"I've been standing here the whole time, but just invisible," Espen answered. "It seems that while we longer have the spirits of Sonic and his friends inside us since they're alive in this world, we still retain certain abilities they had. But I'm not sure whether these powers are temporary or not."

"Yeah, yeah, but now I want to know what Vector looks like," Victor insisted. "Is he human?"

"No, a talking crocodile who wears headphones and is just as greedy as you are," Espen replied. "And it turns out Sonic was right about Espio. He was a purple chameleon, after all."

"Are talking animals the dominant species of this planet or something?" Victor asked.

"No, but the humans of this world don't find them as strange as we do. The anthropomorphized animals mostly live on small tropical islands or in some of the major cities across the globe."

"Anthro-what?"

"Anthropomorphic: animals with human-like qualities."

"Oh, right," Victor said scratching the back of his close-shaven head. "So where did everyone else go after that giant shadow monster sucked us in?"

"They all turned to frozen statues like you but were scattered in different locations," Sonny said. "We've found most of them but some are still missing."

"Like Charles?" Victor wondered.

Sonny nodded and turned to Espen. "Any luck finding him?"

"No, which leads me to believe that he is somewhere further away."

"Then let's start looking for him," Victor said and put his arm around Espen's shoulder. "I'd hate to think of him being all alone and wondering where we are."

"Fine," Espen said brushing Victor's arm aside. "Follow me."

As Espen started to leave, Victor looked back at Sonny and said, "You know something? I bet the shadow monster that kidnapped us and our friends was being controlled by someone who really wanted to see us suffer and so he brought us here thinking that we'd be powerless without our spirit friends to help us."

"I'll keep that in mind, Victor," Sonny said waving as the two vanished down the cobblestone streets. "Hope your search of Charles goes well!"

To be continued…


	118. Chapter 118: Kidnapped

**This is the third-to-last chapter in the final story-arc of my Sonic** **fan-fiction! Hope you guys are enjoying it!**

Chapter 118: Kidnapped

Upon reaching the white space, Sonny found an area nearby that looked like Planet Wisp and decided to look for Sonic there. Along the way, he found native Wisps and was able to use their powers to traverse Eggman's factories which were scattered across the small planet. After a while, Sonny found Sonic standing near the edge of the area staring at a floating Chaos Emerald that turned red as soon as Sonny approached.

"Took you long enough," Sonic said and leaped up to grab the Chaos Emerald.

"Sorry, I'm just not used to absorbing Wisps," Sonny replied.

Sonic gave Sonny a puzzled look and then he shrugged. "Yeah, it's quite a rush, but you get used to it after a while."

"Right," Sonny said and noticed a frozen statue of Charles nearby. "I'll be right back."

While Sonny ran over to Charles, Sonic ran out into the white space towards a black and purple portal that suddenly appeared.

###

"Whoa, man," Charles said as he wobbled over toward Sonny. "That was crazy! That shadow monster just came out of nowhere, sucked us all up, and — where is everyone?"

"They're around," Sonny replied.

"But where is here?" Charles asked and noticed a couple Wisps nearby. "Are those aliens?"

"Wisps, actually," Sonny said. "They're the creatures Miles and I saved from Eggman several months ago when all the world's satellites went missing."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that," Charles said and then he seemed perplexed.

"What is it, Charles?"

"Normally Charmy would be chatting up a storm right now, but I don't hear his voice."

"Then this must be what Planet Wisp looked like when Eggman originally kidnapped it back when Sonic was alive," Sonny said to himself.

"Did you say something?" Charles asked.

"Um, no," Sonny looked away and pointed toward the white space between Planet Wisp and Spagonia. "Hey, there's Victor and Espen over there!"

"Really?" Charles looked in Sonny's direction and ran toward the emerging figures of Victor and Espen.

Meanwhile, Miles and Tails showed up carrying several Chaos Emeralds in their hands.

"Aren't those a little heavy for you?" Sonny asked looking up at Tails as he flew.

"Not the slightest," Tails said and set the Emeralds down on the white ground below before landing. "The Chaos Emeralds are actually pretty light in weight, hence why they are able to float in the air sometimes."

"True," Miles said and added his Emeralds to Tails' pile. "Our Emeralds do the same thing."

"Really? I'd like to get the chance to study them once this is over and compare them with ours," Tails said as Sonny picked up the five Emeralds that were placed on the ground.

"I don't know about that," Miles said shaking his head. "Once your timeline is restored, I imagine that my friends and I will naturally get sent back to ours."

"True, but who knows what'll happen once we eliminate that shadow monster." Tails looked around and then back at Sonny. "Where's Sonic?"

"I'm not sure," Sonny replied and noticed the black and purple portal. "Maybe he went in there."

"Let's follow him," Tails said flying toward the portal. "And bring the Emeralds too."

"Sure thing," Sonny said stuffing the Emeralds into the pockets of his shorts. "Have you managed to regroup everyone who's been rescued, Miles?"

"Not exactly," Miles said following Tails into the portal. "I mean, the areas themselves are pretty big apart from the white spaces between them."

Inside the portal, Sonny Miles and Tails found themselves inside the corridor of a large ship where Sonic was fighting against the robot Eggman used to fight Werehog Sonic in the core of Mobius before Dark Gaia appeared. He seemed to be winning, and then after a final hit to the cockpit Eggman's Egg Mobile popped out of the robot and Dr. Eggman rolled out. Sonic walked over to him and smirked knowingly.

"Argh!" Eggman said irritably. "I was supposed to beat you this time!"

"Sorry I didn't get the memo, Eggman," Sonic said sarcastically. "But last time I checked, you were still on my butt-kicking schedule."

Before Eggman could respond, a black and purple portal appeared in the ship's corridor and the shadow monster emerged from it. To Sonny and Sonic's surprise, the creature grabbed Eggman who yelped in surprise and dragged him into another vortex.

"I thought you said Eggman got kidnapped by that shadow monster earlier," Sonny said eyeing Sonic suspiciously.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Sonic said bitterly.

"No, but if Eggman was kidnapped before what was he doing here?"

"I have no idea. Maybe we're dealing with the past and future versions of Eggman."

"No, that can't be it," Tails said. "Didn't you notice that as we went further in time we aged?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Then that means two Eggmans can't exist at the same time without the younger Eggman becoming the older."

"Perhaps it's not different versions of Eggman we're up against, but the Eggman of this world and the Eggman of our own," Miles suggested.

"You have an Eggman on your world?" Sonny said as his ears perked up. "Is he just as bad as ours?"

"Kind of," Sonny answered. "He used to be a teacher, but then went crazy and now has a—

"Split personality," Miles interrupted. "A part of him wants to take over the world, while the other wants nothing to do with it."

"That sounds terrible," Tails said. "Have you tried reasoning with him?"

"Multiple times, but they all turn out to be tricks by his evil half to manipulate us for his own benefits," replied Miles.

"Ugh, the thought of two Eggmans is giving me a headache," Sonic said and looked at Miles and Tails. "Did you manage to find the rest of the Chaos Emeralds?"

"We sure did," Tails said smiling.

"They're in Sonny's pockets," Miles said pointing to Sonny.

"Sweet," Sonic said throwing the Silver and Red Chaos Emeralds in Sonny's direction. "Mind holding onto those for me?"

"Um, sure," Sonny said and placed the other two Emeralds in his pockets while following Sonic into the black and purple portal along with Miles and Tails.

To be continued…


	119. Chapter 119: Beatdown

**This is the second-to-last chapter of** _ **Sonic Reborn**_ **! Hope you** **'** **re all enjoying it and thanks to everyone who** **'** **s been following, favoriting, and reviewing this fanfic up till now!**

Chapter 119: Beatdown

On the other side of the portal, Sonny, Sonic, Tails, and Miles found themselves on a large platform with no end to either side. At the edge of the platform stood the shadowy monster but this time it was more clearly defined. Apart from a menacing face with blue fire coming from its eyes and mouth, the creature had four mechanical arms coming from a single spine with orb-sized parts, clockwork gears coming out of its back and along its wrists, and sharp purple crystals for fingers and spikes. Beyond it, the area was covered in a thick red mist but Sonny could partially see large clock gears turning slowly.

"Hey!" Sonic said, getting the creature's attention. "If you want to avoid an embarrassing beatdown by yours truly, you'd better give up now!"

"You're not in a position to make any bargains, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Above the creature's head a small pod opened revealing Dr. Eggman to be sitting inside it at a control panel similar to the one in his Egg Mobile.

"Eggman!" Tails exclaimed while Sonic shook his head in annoyance. "But you were kidnapped just a second ago!"

"Not exactly," said a voice that sounded similar to Eggman's as a second pod opened along the creature's mid-drift.

To Sonny and Miles' surprise, it was a man that looked exactly like Dr. Eggman from the pointy nose to the thick mustache and even the red tailcoat.

"Robotnik?" Miles asked out loud.

"Oh, dear," said the second Dr. Eggman. "It seems he has gotten us mixed up, Dr. Robotnik of the Future Mobius."

"It seems so, Dr. Eggman of the Past Mobius," replied the first Dr. Eggman. "After you and Sonic defeated us on the space elevator, Sonny, we got sucked into a black-hole that formed as the result of an influx of Nega-Wisps leaking out into space due a sudden rupture in the park's generator. We found ourselves flung halfway across the galaxy and were essentially paddling through the vacuum of space when we came across this creature we're riding in currently. Eggman and I soon discovered it was a living entity formed from a combination of the energy we used from the Scepter of Darkness to power our Nega-Wisp converters and the Hyper-go-on energy we drained from the Wisps we captured. Calling itself the Time Eater, the creature took us to the Mobius of the distant past where I met the man who's been in my head all these years in the flesh."

"Naturally, we hit it off since we both had rivals we wanted to destroy," added the second Dr. Eggman. "So we decided to use the Time Eater to tear space and time apart for both Mobiuses to erase our past failures consecutively. While we were able to use the Time Eater's mind-control abilities to manipulate Metal Sonic, Shadow, and Silver to do our bidding, we decided to capture Sonny's friends and use them as bait to lure Sonny here hoping that he'd flounder without Sonic's spirit aiding him. But once it became apparent that this wasn't working, we manipulated Shawn and Silva to fight you instead."

"But don't you two realize what you're doing?" Tails said. "The more time and space your creature tears apart, the deader our worlds become!"

"Precisely," said Dr. Robotnik. "And once we have Sonny and Sonic out of the picture, Eggman and I will rule both Mobiuses unopposed!"

"I couldn't have said it better," Dr. Eggman said gleefully.

"How could you do this, Dr. Robotnik?" Miles shouted. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with taking over the world."

"People change, Miles," replied Dr. Robotnik. "When the whole world is constantly hunting you for crimes that may not have been of your own design, you're forced to accept the new life that someone else has created."

"And so he's chosen to follow in my footsteps just as you and Sonny chose to become heroes because the spirits of Tails and Sonic beckoned you to," added Dr. Eggman.

"Listen, Egghead," Sonic said abruptly. "I don't know what you and your copycat are talking about, but one thing's for certain: Sonny and I going to beat you no matter what!"

"Then we'll have twice as much fun beating you into the ground," Dr. Robotnik said as he pressed a button that caused the Time Eater to start firing purple lasers.

While Tails and Miles flew out of the way, Sonny and Sonic ran in opposite directions dodging the lasers. Then Dr. Eggman pressed a button on the control panel of his pod which caused one of the arms of the Time Eater to disappear into another vortex. However, Sonny and Sonic were focused too much on attacking the Time Eater directly to pay attention. When they attempted to slam into the Time Eater, it used two of the arms on its left side to swat Sonic and Sonny backwards. Both landed flat on their faces and before either of them could recover, the fourth hand appeared out of a vortex behind them and crushed Sonny and Sonic underneath it.

"Sonic!" Tails exclaimed.

"Sonny!" Miles shouted.

"Come on, Sonny!" Amelia said appearing on a floating rock.

"Get up already!" Chuck shouted showing up behind Amelia.

Then on another floating rock Shawn and Rouge appeared.

"Pull yourself together, Sonny," Shawn said folding his arms.

"You've been in worse situations before," Rouge added.

"We're right behind you!" Victor said as he Espen and Charles showed up on a third rock.

"You can count on us!" Espen said.

"We'll be cheering you on the whole way!" Charles cried.

"We believe in you, Sonny," Crème said as she and Blake appeared on a fourth rock.

"Give it your best shot!" Blake shouted.

"Show these guys who's boss!" Silva yelled appearing behind Crème and Blake.

"Ah!" Dr. Robotnik exclaimed. "Where did you all come from?"

"We had help from some friends," Amelia said as several creatures appeared on each of the floating rocks.

"Ugh! Not them!" Dr. Eggman said with disgust.

"I know you can beat Dr. Eggman, Sonic!" said a pink hedgehog that stood beside Amelia.

"Punch him!" responded a red echidna next to Chuck.

"You've got this," Shadow nodded standing by Shawn.

"Don't die on me, Big Blue," said a white bat wearing a skin-tight outfit near Rouge.

"You're the toughest hedgehog I know!" Vector yelled standing next to Victor.

"This is nothing!" Espio said beside Espen.

"Come on and fight!" shouted a large bee with an aviator cap that buzzed around Charles.

"You'll do fine, Sonic!" cried a cream-white rabbit that stood behind Crème.

"Just believe in yourself!" said a slender purple cat standing by Blake.

"Give it everything you've got!" shouted Silver while Silva nodded nearby.

"We're all counting on you!" Miles and Tails said together.

Then to both Dr. Robotnik and Eggman's surprise, the seven Chaos Emeralds flew out of Sonny's pockets and surrounded both Sonny and Sonic. After a few seconds, the two awoke and found themselves floating in the air with the Chaos Emeralds spinning rapidly around them. They briefly looked at each other and nodded before turning their attention to the two Eggmans.

"Time for a good old-fashioned egg beating!" Sonny said.

"Super Style!" Sonic added.

The Chaos Emeralds glowed simultaneously as the two transformed into their Super forms. With Sonic, his fur changed from blue to gold and his eyes from green to red. As for Sonny, his hair turned gold and stood on edge while his eyes turned red as well.

In turn, Dr. Robotnik and Eggman closed themselves up inside their pods and the Time Eater took off while Super Sonny and Sonic followed close behind.

To be continued…


	120. Chapter 120: End

**Well, this is it! The final installment of** _ **Sonic Reborn**_ **! Thank you so much for following, favoriting, and reviewing my fanfic over 100+ chapters which I** **'** **m still amazed by to this day! I** **'** **ve been contemplating doing a sequel series focusing on the adventures of Sonny and his friends after the events that transpire in this chapter. Let me know if you want me to do it, but for now the main story is finished. Be sure to check out my other works and may we continue to cherish the lovable blue hedgehog that never stops running!**

Chapter 120: End

Before Super Sonic and Sonny, the platform disappeared underneath as they followed the Time Eater into a dark purple void with clockwork gears enclosing a stream of light beams that was pushing the Time Eater further away from them. Using all their power, they flew against the current of light beams until they were in the Time Eater's range. Before it had the chance to swat at them, Sonny and Sonic rammed themselves into a large purple orb that lay just below Dr. Eggman's pod. With their synchronized impact, the orb chipped slightly before the Time Eater used its clockwork wings to fly backward.

" _Keep hitting it in that spot!_ " cried Miles' voice as if it were far away and yet present.

 _Miles?_ Sonny wondered, putting a hand to his ear.

" _That must be the Time Eater_ _'_ _s weak-point!_ " added Tails.

 _Tails, how are we hearing you right now?_ Sonic thought in his head.

" _Miles and I created a couple of special communicators that can transmit messages across space and time, which is what you_ _'_ _re traveling through right now,_ " Tails answered.

" _Then in turn you two can transmit messages to us by simply thinking about it,_ " Miles said.

 _Cool!_ Sonny then turned to Sonic and said, "Let's boost like we've never boosted before!"

"You got it!" Sonic built up a lot of energy and then he propelled himself forward till he was nothing more than a blur for a few seconds.

Sonny did the same and they were once again close to the Time Eater. Instead of trying to swat them away, the Time Eater send a large clock-shaped thing toward Sonny and Sonic. The two braced for impact, but instead they found themselves floating inside a grayish-white space where they seemed to be moving slower despite flying at their highest speeds possible.

" _The Time Eater must be using Chaos Control to slow them down_ ," said Shadow's voice.

 _Shadow? Is that you?_ Sonic wondered.

" _It is,_ " Shadow replied. " _I_ _'_ _m using Tails_ _'_ _communicator right now._ "

 _Well, since you_ _'_ _re the Chaos Control expert, how do we get through this thing?_ Sonic thought.

" _Just keep flying fast and hopefully you_ _'_ _ll get through it_ ," answered Shadow.

" _Sounds like a good plan to me_ ," responded Amelia. " _Got that, Sonny?_ "

 _Loud and clear!_ Sonny then boosted himself fast with Sonic right along side him.

Eventually, the two got out of the space and flew straight toward the Time Eater ramming it in the same spot as before. The core cracked again and the Time Eater flew back. As it tried to slow them down, Sonny and Sonic fought back by speeding up faster through each space. Then the Time Eater created one large space that extended all the way down the current of light.

" _This isn_ _'_ _t good,_ " Miles said nervously.

 _What is it?_ Sonny asked.

" _The Time Eater has caused the time-stream you_ _'_ _re flying in to completely slow down!_ " Tails exclaimed. " _You and Sonic_ _'_ _s energy boosts aren_ _'_ _t going to be enough to overcome it._ "

 _So what are we supposed to do?_ Sonic butted in.

" _You and Sonny need to combine your energy into a spinning boost attack that will hopefully give you enough velocity to_ _—_

 _Give it to me straight, Tails!_ Sonic said loudly in his head.

" _Basically, you two need to hold hands and spin as fast as you can toward the Time Eater_ _'_ _s core_ ," replied Tails after a brief sigh.

 _Okay, that makes more sense now,_ Sonic thought. Then he turned to Sonny and held out his small gloved hands. "You ready for this?"

"Of course!" Sonny replied and took Sonic's hands in his.

As Tails instructed, the two used the force of their combined boosts to spin rapidly through the grayish-white space in the current. At first, it seemed they weren't moving any faster than before. But then gradually they gained more speed and soon became a spinning drill of golden energy that spiraled its way through the white space and toward the Time Eater. It attempted to shield its core with the four arms, but Sonny and Sonic broke through them and flew straight through the Time Eater's core. After a brief shrilling cry, the Time Eater exploded completely followed by a flash of light that engulfed everything including Sonny and Sonic.

###

"Sonny?" Amelia asked.

At first, Sonny didn't answer then he looked around. He was back at the picnic table in the park with his friends standing in front of him.

"Oh, sorry," Sonny said shaking his head. "I just had a weird daydream where I met Sonic and he was a talking blue hedgehog."

Miles gave Sonny an odd look. "Who's Sonic?"

"What?" Sonny couldn't believe what he heard. "How can you say that? He's the reason we met, remember?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sonny," Miles said shaking his head. "We met because you defended me against Zak, Zaz, and Zom back in middle-school."

"Right, but we didn't become actual friends until we learned we both occupied by strange spirits inside our bodies," Sonny responded.

"Doesn't ring a bell to me," Miles said dubiously.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" Sonny walked up to Miles and grabbed him by the shoulders. "We've spent several years going through the same crap Sonic did and you're saying you don't remember any of it?"

"Hey, quit picking on Miles!" Amelia said stepping between the two boys. "If you're not going to behave for your birthday, Sonny, then take a walk and come back when you're calmer!"

"You know what I'm talking about, right, Amelia?" Sonny said turning to her. "I mean, we never would've gotten together if you weren't possessed by Amy."

"Amy?" Amelia's eyes narrowed. "Is she another girl?"

"What? No! She was the pink hedgehog that stood next to you during the final battle with the Time Eater!" When Amelia gave him a blank look, Sonny turned to everyone else who was there including Shawn and Silva. "Don't you guys know what I'm talking about? We fought Dr. Robotnik and Eggman in that weird tunnel-thing and blasted that shadow monster away with a power boost spin attack?"

Getting nothing but confused stares and odd looks, Sonny growled and took off. He came to a tree on the other side of the park and crashed at its base. As the tears welled up in his eyes, Sonny instinctively curled up into a ball and felt his body go numb.

"Why is everyone acting so weird?" Sonny muttered.

" _Because your actions have changed the past and future Mobiuses,_ " said a floating white orb that appeared in front of Sonny.

"Chip?" Sonny said, recognizing the voice coming from the orb.

" _Yes, I_ _'_ _m the one you and Sonic have called_ _'_ _Chip,_ _'_ " replied the white orb as it took the form of the little boy Sonny met many years before when the Mobius' seven continents were separated.

"What's going on?" Sonny said as he uncurled and wiped away the tears. "Everyone seems to have forgotten all the things that happened related to Sonic and his friends' spirits."

Chip seemed to hesitate for a moment and then he said, "When you destroyed the Time Eater, you defeated the very thing that caused Sonic and his friends to die horrible deaths when the First Mobius was destroyed."

"I'm not sure I follow you."

"Then allow me to explain," Chip said as he cleared his throat. "Do you remember when you passed through the kingdom of Soleanna en route to finding Dr. Eggman?"

"Yeah?"

"And do you remember seeing a girl on a boat whom you never met before but she seemed strangely familiar?"

"Um, briefly."

"The reason this girl, Elise, was familiar to you is because in an alternate timeline, she invited you to come to Soleanna with your friends and hers. However, things didn't go as planned when Eggman kidnapped her forcing you to rescue her. This in turn led to a series of events resulting in your death at the hands of Mephiles the Dark, an evil being who has existed for eternity living through the destruction of the First Mobius and appearing in the Second Mobius. Fortunately, you, Shawn, and Silva defeated him with Sonic, Shadow, and Silver's spirits helping you.

"Then after Elise blew out the Flame of Iblis that Mephiles would try to merge with to become the destructive god Solaris, time reset itself to where you and Elise never met since her father didn't die trying to create Solaris himself without Iblis ever existing to begin with. But the Scepter of Darkness which held Mephiles inside was still around for Eggman to use. For instance, he used Mephiles' energy to power the laser that split Mobius into seven parts awakening Dark Gaia prematurely along with me and it caused the transformation that made Sonic turn into a 'Werehog' at night.

"When that plan was foiled, Eggman used the energy to power the machines that transformed the Wisps he captured into Nega-Wisps. This in turn caused Mephiles to absorb the Hyper-go-on energy he received from the Wisps he changed and so he became the Time Eater. He waited for Robotnik to show up at the edge of the universe before allowing them to travel back in time to where Eggman was alive so the two could hatch a plan to use him to erase their past failures. Little did they realize that this would cause time and space to no longer exist, but you and Sonic managed to stop them from doing this.

"But because you defeated Mephiles, he now longer exists. What this in turn caused was Sonic and his friends to no longer die at the hands of Metal Sonic, who was possessed by Mephiles, so they lived full lives and died with no regrets. Therefore, I never collected their spirits out of pity after Dark Gaia destroyed the First Mobius and they didn't inhabit you and your friends' bodies."

"Then how come I'm the only one who remembers?" Sonny asked.

"I'm not sure," Chip said in a baffled tone. "It might be the part of Sonic that's still a part of you. After all, you're this Mobius' reincarnation of Sonic."

"Huh?"

"That's why you could still run super-fast even when you didn't have Sonic possessing you. You're him, but from the Second Mobius that was created by me after the First was destroyed."

"Then that means my friends are the—

"Reincarnations of Sonic's friends in this Mobius," Chip answered. "They have powers similar to their previous counterparts, though some of them don't realize it yet."

"Will they ever remember what happened like I did?"

"Probably not, but who knows? Maybe you're not the only who remembers events that technically did not happen before."

As Chip started to fade away, Sonny cried, "Hey! Where are you going?"

"Back to Mobius' core, Sonny," Chip said. "It's still not my time yet."

"When will I see you again?"

"What are you talking about?" Chip smiled as he vanished completely. " _I_ _'_ _m always with you._ "

Sonny then looked down at his wrist and saw the neck chocker with the green orb that Chip had worn long ago. Smiling, Sonny ran back towards the picnic table in a matter of seconds. Everyone was naturally surprised to see him back so soon, but noticing he was in a better mood they were all happy and so Sonny's twentieth birthday was celebrated with good cheer and fun all around. By the end of the day, Sonny and his friends felt content going their separate ways as the first stars started to come out. It was then that Sonny noticed a new constellation in the night sky that resembled the face of a hedgehog he knew so well.

"Say, Miles," Sonny said pointing to the constellation. "What's the name of that constellation?"

"Oh, that's the Blue Hedgehog," Miles answered. "Legends say he was a great warrior who fought many battles and never stopped running till all his foes were down."

"I can believe that," Sonny replied.

The End


End file.
